A World of Wonder
by SolanaLeonhart
Summary: Since the Grand Age of Pirates began, many travel in the search of the ultimate treasure, One Piece. This also includes a certain crew which comes together and works to purse their goals and dreams...
1. Chapter 1

_Well, I never thought I'd get into writing One Piece fanfiction but here we are._

 _This starts off after Luffy meets Zoro in Shells Town and it leads to them finding just how rotten the situation here is..._

* * *

''So that was the Pirate Hunter, huh?''

''It was a surprise-wait, don't tell me you still want him in your crew?''

''Yup!''

The conversation went as such between two teen boys. One had black hair and dark eyes, he wore a straw hat, a red vest, blue shorts and open-toed sandals. This was Monkey D. Luffy, a pirate who had recently left his home of Dawn Island with a dream of becoming the King of Pirates.

The second was Coby, he had pink hair and dark eyes and wore a white and blue shirt, dark pants and boots. Now his dream was the complete opposite, he wished to become a marine. Coby had the misfortune of getting on the ship of 'Iron Mace' Alvida, which he thought was a fishing boat and was forced to be its Cabin Boy as a result. Luffy stumbled across the boat after coming out of a whirlpool and he wound up saving Coby before both arrived here.

Coby had intended to apply here to start his dream off, but he was too nervous. Luffy would have none of that though and he insisted on making sure the boy would do it. They found that, oddly enough, people in this town were as afraid of the infamous 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro as they were of the marine captain leading the base here, an 'Axe-Hand' Morgan.

An intrigued Luffy wanted to see what Zoro was really like and this lead to them going to the base and finding the swordsman outside, ignoring Coby's protests. The boy had been trying to talk him out of recruiting Zoro, partly because of his fearsome reputation. So while meeting the swordsman had changed his opinion somewhat, Coby's feelings on the matter could still be summed up with...

''Luffy-san, this is a terrible idea. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought but still, he's a pirate _hunter_! Why would he become a pirate?''

''Don't worry about it so much.'' Was all Luffy had to say to that.

Coby sighed, noting how some of the passerby who heard them seemed to be sharing fearful looks. This made him think back on what happened earlier ''I still don't get why they were afraid just from hearing the marine captain's name.''

''Yeah, that was weird...'' Luffy was distracted when they passed by a fruit shop, eyeing some of the merchandise hungrily. This was why he bumped into a person who had been buying from that very shop.

''Oh, hey you all right there?''

Luffy blinked and looked over to find that the speaker was a young man who appeared in his twenties. He had platinum blond hair and blue green eyes. He wore a white and gold jacket with blue lining over a black shirt, a white belt, blue pants and black boots. A big bag was slung over his shoulder and a scabbard with a sheathed sword was tied to his belt.

''You should watch out, Luffy-san.'' Coby said, both noticed how his eyes had clearly been on the fruit.

The young man gave a bemused look before addressing the shop owner and picking up a couple of apples before giving them to Luffy, leaving the teens thrown off by the unexpected gesture. Both made to catch up to him as he walked away.

Luffy grinned ''Thanks!''

He proceeded to eat both up quickly, to the young man's surprise. Coby completely understood how he felt ''Thank you, that was very nice.''

''It's fine.'' He looked curious. ''I've been here for a few days and I've never seen you two. Are you traveling too?''

''Yup, I'm Luffy and that's Coby. He wants to be a marine and I'm going to look for members for my pirate crew.''

''Luffy-san, you can't say things like that!'' Coby hissed.

Contrary to his expectations though, the young man was just amused ''So a future marine and a pirate together? Now there's something you don't see everyday. I'm Arcadia Miguel.''

Surprised at how easy going he appeared, Coby decided to ask ''So you're traveling too, Arcadia-san?''

''Just call me Miguel, I'm a mercenary of sorts. I'm working to find money and hopefully treasure to send to my homeland. Let's just say we're a little short on funds for the time being.''

''I see...''

''Say, you know something about the 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro?'' Luffy asked. ''Is he like the rumors say? People here sure act funny...''

''Ah, you saw that?'' Miguel paused.

''You know why the people are so tense, Miguel-san?'' Coby tilted his head.

''More or less. It's not really hard to find information when you want to here, I was looking into this too.'' He admitted. ''I've seen Morgan once and it's enough to tell. He's an egoistic tyrant, he's pretty much bullying everyone here.''

The boy looked alarmed ''Wait, what? But he's a marine, he won't do that!''

''People aren't defined by their profession, Coby.'' Miguel pointed out. ''It's their personality that matters, and power can corrupt many. One might be a marine, but that doesn't make them a saint. As for Luffy's question, I'm not really sure what's going on with that pirate hunter but something just seems off. I know marines and bounty hunters don't usually get along but if he'd done anything bad enough to be trapped like that for weeks, wouldn't word have gotten out by now?''

Coby blinked, that was a good point. ''I didn't think of it like that...you're right.''

''Well, I can think of a few places to ask about this. You want to come?'' Miguel asked.

As far as Luffy was concerned, it was a no brainer. Coby was more hesitant but he still wanted to find out just what was happening here. And so the three looked around town for answers.

* * *

Eventually, the trio's search took them to a restaurant. Coby and Luffy recognized Rika, the little girl they had seen visiting Zoro before, which prompted them to approach her.

''He really said that?'' Rika asked, smiling.

''Yup, he ate every bit.'' Luffy assured while Coby brought Miguel up to speed.

''You know, that was pretty nice of him. He really doesn't seem as bad as people make him out to be...'' The latter remarked.

''That's because he isn't!'' Rika exclaimed. ''The bad one is Helmeppo, Captain Morgan's son. Roronoa-san's in that mess because he wanted to help...''

And she went on to tell them how Helmeppo came into the restaurant a few weeks ago, sauntering like he owned the place with a pet wolf. He proceeded to demand food for him and his pet rudely. When Rika tried to stop it from trashing the restaurant, the wolf attacked her. It was taken down by Zoro, who happened to be there for a meal of his own.

An outraged Helmeppo was about to punish everyone in the restaurant when Zoro stepped in. This lead to the deal where Zoro would stay bound in that yard for a month so Helmeppo would let everyone off scot free.

''That's terrible!'' Coby exclaimed in dismay. How could the marines do something like this?

''So that's why...'' Miguel frowned. No matter how he looked at it, Zoro was honorable. This was a despicable situation.

Little did they know, that it just got worse from here...

Everyone was distracted by the sound of the door being kicked open, making them look over to find Helmeppo walking in with a few marines.

''Heh, well this would have to do.'' He sat down and looked at Rika's mother. ''Oi, lady, my men and I are going to eat for free. Give me some moonshine or whatever you make around here.''

He grinned as he watched her go, leaning back ''This is more like it. Hm, well now...I think I'll go on and kill Zoro after all.'' He laughed to himself, oblivious to the surprise this caused. ''What an idiot, as if I was going to let him go...''

Still chuckling, Helmeppo wound up missing the fist that came his way. It hit the side of his face, sending him to the ground.

''Wha?!'' He spluttered, sitting up to find Luffy there, glaring at him.

Coby blanched ''Luffy, what're you doing?!''

''He's scum!'' The teen replied hotly.

''You...you hit me!'' Helmeppo managed. ''I'm Captain Morgan's son, you know!''

''So what?'' Luffy demanded.

The blond appeared shocked for a moment before he went on ''I'll...I'll tell my daddy on you!''

Luffy didn't respond but his expression clearly said that he didn't care. Helmeppo stood and glared ''You'll pay for this!''

''You shouldn't go around antagonizing marines!'' Coby exclaimed.

''He's a pirate, remember?'' Miguel pointed out reasonably.

''Guys, I've decided, today Zoro's going to join my crew!'' Luffy declared.

Coby and Rika appeared surprised while Miguel gave a small smirk ''So you're busting him out. Want some help?''

Luffy grinned ''Yeah, let's go!''

* * *

 _Well, how was it? I'll just leave it here and let all the action begin next chapter. More revelations will come along then as well._

 _Okay, full confession, this was actually the first challenge I was asked to do...but I botched it a little. I wound up forgetting a couple of the details about the OC early on but by the time I did remember those, I already finished three arcs. And I got into it so I didn't want to drop it in the end._

 _I've decided to take some good advice I was offered and post a few chapters to test the waters. So please tell me if you like it. If it doesn't work out, I'll probably re-write it. Just so we're clear, this won't involve any of the Fairy Tail characters. Except maybe the spirits if I decide to use Celestial spirit magic but I did mix certain elements of the Fairy Tail verse in the story. I hope you liked this._

 _Notes:_

 _-Miguel thought Luffy would give one apple to Coby, not knowing how hungry he really was._

 _-Miguel's reason for traveling start sort of like Nami's. His home's recovering from some battles and they've been looking for resources to help the relief effort. Just for the record, he's actually from the Grand Line, Paradise, to be precise. More on that will be explained after they break Zoro out and beat Morgan._

 _That's about all I can think of now, I'll keep working at it and hopefully hear from you soon._


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry, I meant to get this one up sooner but I got busy. I know the first chapter's hardly enough to form much of an opinion on this story. Anyway, I hope you like it._

* * *

Roronoa Zoro, a man with green hair and dark eyes, had been bound to the post in the marine base's yard for the last three weeks. All for the deal with Helmeppo, if he hadn't done it, the brat could have hurt a whole lot of people and killed Rika. While he'd been given enough water to keep him alive, the closest thing he'd had to a meal all this time was Rika's rice ball, which Helmeppo had almost ruined.

People might think it was strange and even disgusting for him to eat them after that but to someone who had been effectively starved, it meant a lot. It was clear how much trouble Rika had gone through. He didn't want that to go to waste.

Zoro was determined to last the full month and get back to his travels. He would not die here.

 _''You're weak, Zoro. Nothing ever changes.''_ The familiar voice brought back a distant memory that sharpened his determination once more. He had lost another duel to his old rival, a girl with black hair and dark brown eyes. Yet despite the numerous losses, Zoro's determination wouldn't waver.

That feeling has yet to change. As far as Zoro was concerned, this was another trial he had to succeed in. It would just be another stepping stone towards his dream.

The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his footsteps until his eyes fell on a familiar figure.

''You again, huh?'' Zoro frowned at Luffy. ''I told you to leave but now you dragged a friend along?'' He added, his eyes falling on Miguel.

''We're getting you out of here.'' Luffy informed cheerfully.

''Oi, you can't just...!''

Miguel's eyes narrowed a bit as he interjected ''We'll explain later. For now, just know that the situation's not what you think. As far as Helmeppo's concerned, the deal's never been on.''

Zoro's eyes widened, then hearing Luffy continue ''So they took your swords, right?''

''Yeah...'' He scowled at the reminder.

''Then when I get your swords, you'll have no choice but to join my crew!'' He finished.

''Are you nuts?!'' Zoro snapped. ''Like hell I'll become a pirate!''

''What's wrong with being a pirate?'' was all Luffy had to say to that.

''They're scum, that's what!''

''You're already an evil pirate hunter though, what does it matter?'' Luffy returned.

''I don't regret a thing I've done and I definitely don't care what anyone thinks of me. I won't die here!''

''Oh, that's how it is. I've already decided that you're going to be my crewmate though.''

''That's not up for you to decide! I'm not joining you.'' Zoro retorted, annoyed with him again.

''Luffy, I was all for breaking him out but you should give him a choice.'' Miguel added.

Luffy chose not to respond to this ''Okay, let's go!''

The two watched him run for a moment before Miguel sighed ''So much for that idea...guess we can wait to sort it out later.''

''Like I have a choice!'' Zoro pointed out irritably. ''What, you're a pirate too?''

''Nope, but like I said we'll explain later.'' Miguel cut the rope binding him with his sword. He ran closer to the building before his body was surrounded by a golden glow as he intoned. ''Meteor.''

In a flash of light, he flew up.

Zoro was thinking their words over ''Just who are those two?''

* * *

Miguel flew into the building through an open window and went up the stairs. He was distracted by the sight of something golden falling from a balcony.

He blinked and craned his head to look at the object down below '...If that's what I think it is, Luffy did them a favor.'

''There's another intruder!'' The voice brought his attention to a group of marines coming from upstairs.

''All right, let's get him!''

Miguel looked unfazed as he grabbed his sword. With some well timed, precise strikes, he was able to defeat the new arrivals quickly. Hearing more voices coming along, Miguel tapped his sword to the wall nearby, only for the rocks to seemingly shift and form a couple of new walls before him. He took advantage of the new space to fly to the higher floor, which was where he saw Luffy. What confused him was that the pirate was holding Helmeppo under his arm as he ran.

''Luffy?''

The teen stopped, grinning as he saw Miguel approaching ''Oh, hey you're pretty quick!''

''Not as much as you are clearly.'' He returned, thinking of the chaos the teen seemed to have caused. ''What're you doing with him?''

''He knows where Zoro's swords are!''

''Good to hear. Well?'' Miguel prompted Helmeppo, who quivered under the swordsman's glare.

''T-they're all in my room...we just passed it...''

''Why didn't you say so before?'' Luffy huffed before he started running again with Miguel following him.

True to word, they found the boy's room quick enough. What was strange was that there were three swords.

''? Which one's Zoro's?'' Luffy cocked his head.

''Well, he did talk like there was more than one.'' Miguel noted. ''Just take them all, we'll check with Zoro.''

''Yeah!'' Luffy did just that, which was when he noticed something in the yard below. ''Miguel, we better hurry, there's trouble!''

* * *

Coby had arrived minutes ago to help his new friends, only to find Zoro near the entrance.

''So you're with those two? What're they up to?''

''Luffy-san and Miguel-san are trying to help you. Helmeppo was never going to go through with that deal. We heard him debating when he was going to kill you. Luffy-san got so mad that he punched him, Miguel-san came along to help break you out.''

Zoro remembered what Miguel said earlier ''Damn it, so this is what he meant...now what?''

The last thing he expected was for someone to reply ''Now you both die!''

Coby's eyes widened as a bullet suddenly hit Zoro's side, making him double over. Alarmed, the two found a tall, muscular man with shaven blond hair in a marine captain uniform at the base's gate. His right hand was gone, replaced by the blade of an axe, proving that this was none other than the marine Captain 'Ax-Hand' Morgan, the base commander. A number of marines armed with rifles were with him.

''So you're with that damn punk? All the more reason to go for this. That was just a prelude, Men, get ready to fire! I'll make a lesson out of you lot, and ensure people will fear my power!''

Coby recoiled, fear surging through him as the weapons were aimed at him and Zoro, who grit his teeth, at a loss of what to do.

He knew one thing though, he couldn't die here!

''FIRE!''

* * *

Fortunately, help came in the nick of time.

Before anyone knew it, Luffy's figure descended on the field, intercepting the bullets. But there was no blood, instead, Luffy's body appeared to stretch under the force of the assault.

''That won't work!'' A grinning Luffy declared, which proved true when he smoothly deflected the bullets back, leaving the shocked marines to try and dodge the ones that came near them.

''What?!''

''What is he?!''

They didn't get to debate that for long, because what happened next threw them for a loop.

Some of their comrades suddenly began floating in mid-air, crying out in shock and panic. As the rest tried to help them, an unseen force repelled them just as it sent their comrades flying only to crash on the ground.

''What was that?'' Luffy tilted his head, turning a bit at the sound of footsteps to find Miguel walking over.

''Where'd he come from?!'' Morgan demanded.

''Whoa, Miguel-san that...'' Coby seemed lost for words.

''That was cool!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''Thanks. I told you, right? I'm going to help you guys through this mess.''

''Wh-what's going on?'' A soldier asked.

''That kid with the straw hat must have eaten a devil fruit.'' Morgan muttered, frowning.

''A devil fruit?'

Devil fruits were mystic treasures of the sea, known to give those who ate them a number of powers. The trade off was that the devil fruit users would become unable to swim. But if one learns to use their power well, they would surely find it advantageous. Anything was possible, but there was too little known about their powers for the people here since most devil fruits were from the Grand Line.

''Then that other one too?''

Miguel half-smiled ''I'll just leave that to your imagination.''

''I'm Monkey D. Luffy, I'm going to be the Pirate King!'' Luffy declared confidently.

''Pirate King?!'' Zoro echoed. ''You can't be serious!''

''Of course I am!'' Luffy retorted, almost sounding offended at the assumption.

''I didn't think so either but Luffy-san believes he can do it. I say he can too!'' Coby stated with a smile.

''It's his dream.'' Miguel remarked. ''It may seem crazy but with a belief this strong, he can make something out of it.''

Luffy held up Zoro's swords ''Here you go! Which one's yours? We just got them all!''

''They're all mine. I use a Three Sword Style.'' was Zoro's response as he took them. His injury throbbed but he refused to take things the way they were.

''Well, you either join me or be killed by the marines, what do you say?''

Zoro began to smirk ''...You must be the son of the devil. All right, I'll be your crew mate.'' Luffy grinned widely and cheered at this, hearing him go on. ''I'd rather become a pirate then die, especially like this...'' He took a fighting stance as some marines who held up swords attacked, stopping them in a few moments before he swiftly defeated them. Luffy, Coby and Miguel were readily impressed at his strength.

''One move, and you all die.'' Zoro warned the marines who stared at him fearfully. He then looked at Luffy. ''Let's get one thing clear. You may be my captain now but I'm dedicated to fulfilling my dream!''

Luffy looked interested ''Which is?''

''To be the world's greatest swordsman.'' Zoro declared. ''If anything threatens that dream, you accept responsibility so you'll apologize to me at the end of a sword.''

Miguel stared at him in disbelief, a feeling which transferred to Luffy once he saw how calm the teen was.

''The world's greatest swordsman? Well, that's fine. The King of Pirates wouldn't have anything less than the best on his crew.''

Zoro smirked ''There's that confidence again. From here on out, criminal or not, I'll spread my name throughout the world!''

The marines seemed frozen, in shock or fear, no one knew for sure. What was obvious was that they had no idea what to do.

Morgan grit his teeth ''What're you standing over there for? Get them!''

A majority moved at the order, only to find themselves facing Luffy and Miguel. The first took care of the ones on his side with a...

''Gum Gum Whip!'' His leg stretched as he launched a kick, knocking them back.

He looked over to Miguel to find him disarming a couple of marines before striking them down and jumping back in time to dodge another strike coming his way. He knocked the attacker out with a hit to the head with his sheath, then using that same sheath to block another attack and kick the attacker hard enough to stun him before taking him out. Soon enough, all his attackers were defeated.

''Wow!'' Luffy grinned.

Likewise, Zoro watched with interest ''Not bad at all...''

''That was great!'' Coby declared happily.

''C-Captain, we can't beat them!''

''They're too strong!''

Morgan seemed to be growing angrier by the second as he spotted the clear defeated words and behavior from his soilders. ''This is a direct order! Every marine who sprouted weakness, shoot yourself this instant!''

''Wait, what?'' Luffy looked bewildered.

''How could he say that?!'' Coby spluttered.

''...So it was true, Morgan's a real tyrant.'' Miguel said with a dark look. ''For a marine, he's hardly any better than a lowly criminal.''

''He's an idiot.'' Luffy stated.

''That does it, you damn brats!'' Morgan snarled, charging to attack them. ''I'll make you pay for this disrespect with your lives!'' He swiped down with the ax, only for them to dodge.

Luffy punched him on one side while Miguel struck the other as he stated ''Newsflash: you don't demand respect, you earn it!''

''Yeah and you don't deserve any!'' Luffy added as the injured captain tried to pull himself together.

''W-why you little...'' Morgan barely got to react to defend from Luffy's following punch, striking again with his axe, only for it to miss. ''...who do you lowlife bums think you are?! You have no right to defy me, I am Marine captain 'Ax-hand' Morgan!''

''And I'm Luffy, nice to meet ya!'' The teen returned.

''Die!'' Luffy avoided Morgan's next attack too and knocked him down with a kick.

''The captain's getting pummeled!''

An irritated Luffy punched Morgan in the gut ''You're supposed to be a Marine?! You're runining Coby's dream!''

The statement had Miguel looking at him curiously, not knowing he was thinking about that. He could definitely see Luffy's point though, dealing with something like this could easily mess up the boy's dream.

''Hey, Straw hat and his friend!''

Helmeppo's voice brought attention to the teen, who was holding Coby at gunpoint. Zoro's eyes narrowed ''Him again?''

''If you value your scrawny friend's life, don't move, or I'll shoot!''

Luffy didn't look at the blond, but at Coby, who was shaking out of fright. Their eyes met and Luffy grinned, this seemed to be enough to reassure Coby, who then called,

''Luffy-san, don't let anything that happens to me stop you, even if I die!''

''You got it.'' Luffy returned. ''Hear that? Do your worst! Coby isn't afraid to die!''

Helmeppo flinched as the teen began walking over ''Didn't you hear me?! Don't move, I'm serious, I'll shoot him!'' He grimaced. ''Daddy! Hurry up and kill him!''

Helmeppo suddenly began levitating into the air, leaving him to yelp. But he had no time to wonder just what was going on...

''Gum Gum Pistol!''

The move left him to fall to the ground, out cold. Simultaneously, Zoro attacked Morgan, who had been close to nailing Luffy. A second later, the captain fell down with a crash.

''Thanks.'' Luffy said to Zoro, who smiled back.

''Just doing my job, captain.''

* * *

The three headed back to the restaurant. Rika welcomed them back, especially glad to see that they had succeeded. They proceeded to order some food and Zoro finally got a full meal for the first time in three weeks.

''Man, that hit the spot.'' Zoro leaned back.

''I'd imagine it would after all this time.'' Miguel remarked.

''And you beat them too? Thanks, that was great!'' Rika said cheerfully.

Luffy grinned back ''Ah, it was nothing...'' He put his cup down. ''...Miguel, join my crew!''

The young man looked at him, surprised ''You want me to...?''

''Yup!''

Coby smiled wryly ''I saw that one coming...''

''Oh yeah, I forgot...he just came along to help, huh?'' Zoro mused.

''Hey, come on!'' Luffy's attention was on Miguel. ''It'll be great!''

''Well, I never considered becoming a pirate before...'' He deflated at this but Miguel wasn't finished. ''...but I'll think about it. You have that boat. Can I come with you for now? I've had terrible luck in finding any way off the island.''

With that, Luffy perked up. He may not have accepted but at least he would consider it and as far as the captain was concerned, that was good enough for now. Besides, traveling with Miguel would be fun.

''Sure!''

''Yeah, why not?'' Zoro responded when Miguel looked at him. ''You know there's one thing I can't figure out about today...I know how Luffy got his powers now but...somehow I can't believe yours came from a devil fruit, Miguel.''

Coby and Luffy exchanged curious looks at this, turning to the latter as he gave a bemused smile. ''...Somehow I get the feeling you found me out.''

''I've only seen one person with powers that remind me of yours so I wasn't sure at first but...you're a wizard, aren't you?''

''Yes, I am.''

''So that was magic before?'' Coby found himself thinking of the strange instances that he couldn't make sense of. Now that he thought about it, any visible wounds on the three of them were gone. ''That's why...''

''I didn't see any reason to show off. It got the job done anyway.'' Miguel remarked.

''You're a lot better than the one I've seen, that's for sure.'' Zoro mused. He could understand though, those marines had been weak and if Miguel was as kind as his actions made him seem (which he was sure was the case) he would hold back to avoid hurting them terribly.

Zoro found himself interested in facing their new companion now. It took quite the skill to pull off what he did. He made a mental note to ask for a spar at some point.

''So you were holding back then too? You really are strong!'' Luffy exclaimed, eliciting a grateful look from the young man.

''You're much nicer than what I heard about wizards, Miguel-san.'' Coby admitted.

''Then you haven't met much of any.''

Luffy looked at the pink haired boy curiously ''What, so people don't like wizards or something?''

''Something like that, now that I've met Miguel-san, I think it's more of a bad reputation. See, wizards used to live among us many years ago but things changed after some old event. I never found out what it was...'' Coby paused thoughtfully. ''...Anyway, they moved to a chain of islands in the Grand Line and made their own nation, Elysia. For a while, they were declared hostile by the World Government. After plenty of battles, I heard the leaders of Elysia came to an agreement with the World Government. Elysia would get to be rule freely but they would only be allowed to intervene with the government in specific cases. Otherwise, they would stay out of each other's way.''

''That's about the gist of it.'' Miguel confirmed. ''Now you know why I started looking for money.''

Coby nodded and Zoro spoke ''I think I heard something about this...but I never understood, why the heck would your home's leaders go through all this trouble? Seems kind of extreme.''

''It can't be helped. They did what they thought was best. Some like to gloss over this but the fact is, but our ancestors did work with the government. It just cost them...and us terribly. There's really few of us left out there...12%, more or less.''

The reactions were instantaneous. Luffy's eyes widened, Zoro stiffened and Coby balked in shock ''That's terrible!''

''What, do they expect you all to throw your lives out because they say so?'' The green haired swordsman asked, disgust clear in his tone.

''Apparently.'' Miguel scoffed. ''Things just started getting worse when they learned how select people are born with our abilities. That's not something anyone can control. It's not like pirates lived with us or anything, we just want to live freely. It's their oppression that almost wiped us out in the first place. But as far as some people are concerned, it makes us scum.''

''Just goes to show how idiotic they are.'' Zoro shook his head. ''...So I guess that talk I heard about them attacking your people is true?''

Miguel nodded. ''That's what started the battles Coby mentioned before the treaty was raised.''

''Figures...I never heard the whole story but the guy who told me shaped you out to be worse than the lowest of pirates.''

''I'm not surprised. All this did is make them more enemies. I know for a fact that plenty of my people hate the government now.''

''Can't say I blame 'em.''

Needles to say, the fact that there were barely 12% wizards in the world spoke volumes. It really made them understand the wizards' stance in this.

''It's all horrible.'' It was only then that he realized Rika and her mother Ririka were listening. ''Well, I don't care what people say. You're nice, Onii-chan, I like you.''

Miguel chuckled and patted her head ''Thanks...''

Ririka shook her head seeing the two continue to talk ''I never even imagined it was like this...I feel terrible for believing the rumors before. It must have been horrible for the wizards.''

''Miguel makes it seem simple but from what I've heard, a lot of wizards wound up suffering from this. It sounds all messed up.'' Zoro remarked. He vaguely recalled something about how it was the efforts of select wizards, who used a very powerful weapon that kept the government back. Now it appeared as if they were at a tentative peace, content with ignoring their existence.

''Yeah...'' Coby trailed off. No wonder Miguel refused to believe in the marines. He actually took this well, all thing considered, Coby figured he had more than enough reason to hate the government, if he didn't already. ''...it's ridiculous and petty.''

''Yeah, you guys have the right to live how you want to.'' Luffy said firmly.

Miguel gave a small smile ''Thanks...it'd be nice if more people could understand that.''

Zoro looked at Luffy ''So where do we go from here?''

''To the Grand Line!''

Coby looked alarmed ''That's suicide! You can't survive with only two people, that's where the world's strongest pirates are!''

''We're going to have go there sooner or later, to find One Piece.'' Zoro pointed out.

''I know, but...you need to careful about this. Look, Miguel-san's from there, just ask him. He knows what I mean!''

''He's right,'' Miguel offered. ''You definitely need a better ship for one thing and more crew mates. The pirates aren't the only thing you'd have to worry about. Sometimes the weather gets real crazy, it's not your average ocean.''

''So you're not coming with us there?'' Luffy asked him.

''I told you, it's...'' He blinked when Zoro bonked the teen's head.

''Don't be so pushy, he said he'd think about it. Enough!'' ''Fine...''

''Anyway, what're you so worried about, Coby? It's not like you're coming.'' Zoro added.

''But you're my friends! Of course I'd be worried about you.'' was the boy's response. ''I know we just met but you really helped me out...no one's ever stood up for me before. We _are_ friends, right?''

''Yup!'' Luffy replied and Miguel nodded. ''Even when we go our separate way, we'll still be friends!''

The boy smiled widely at this, A worrying thought occurred to him ''...You too, Miguel-san? After what you just told us...''

''Mm, your dream's to be a marine, right? I know you're not going to be anything like the sort I've had to deal with...''

''Definitely not!'' Coby had a good guess of what that meant and he had no intention of sinking to that level. He would not be like the marines who helped terrorize his friend's people.

''Well then, we're good. I told you before, people aren't defined by their professions. Things aren't ever so black and white. You know what they did was wrong so you'll learn from it, that's good enough.''

''Right!'' Coby beamed. ''Thanks to you guys, I learned to fight for my dream so I will become a marine!''

''So we'll be heading to the Grand Line.'' Luffy brought things back right where they started.

''Yup.'' Zoro agreed.

''You guys are too reckless!'' Coby exclaimed.

Miguel gave him a sympathetic look ''It kind of feels like all we've said just went through one ear and out the other, huh?''

''I'll say...'' He sulked.

Zoro crossed his arms ''We're not the ones you need to worry about. Even if it was against your will, you helped Alvida's crew. Don't underestimate the marine's information gathering ability. If they find out, they won't let you join.''

Coby flinched, he knew but...

''Excuse me!'' A new voice cut in his thoughts, the voice belonging to Commander Ripper, who had taken over since Morgan's defeat, he was joined by two soldiers. ''I am here to confirm that you guys are pirates, is it true?''

''We are pirates, and I got my first crew mate here.'' Luffy informed.

''We are grateful for you saving our town but you are still pirates so I'm going to have to ask you to leave.'' Ripper stated. ''Due to your actions, you won't be reported to headquarters. You must leave immediately.''

The people nearby immediately began to protest, pointing out that they had just saved Shells Town and how there was something wrong with marines.

The three didn't seem to care though, calmly standing up after the news.

''Well, it's time we go. Thanks for the food.'' Luffy said calmly.

''No point staying any longer, I guess.'' Zoro said with a shrug.

Miguel merely followed them, seeing no use in trying to correct the Commander. He wasn't a pirate, but he did need to find a way off the island. All his previous attempts had failed so this was just fine with him.

Ripper looked at Coby ''Aren't you with them?''

''No...I-I'm not...'' Coby managed, not liking this. He had decided to fight for his dream but not like this...

''Is that true?'' Ripper asked Luffy.

''Him? Oh, he spent two years on this boat. I think he used to work for this lady...'' Luffy started.

''Luffy-san, please stop!'' Coby pleaded. If they knew he worked for Alvida, his dream was shot!

Luffy ignored him ''Yeah, and...'' He was then punched by the boy.

''Shut up!''

''Oh, that's how it is? I'll show you!'' Luffy made to punch him

Ripper called for them to stop ''It's clear that you're not friends. Please, leave immediately!''

As he watched them go, Coby understood. Luffy was trying to help him again...This fueled his resolve all the more.

''Please let me become a marine! I'll do anything, even chores!''

The men eyed him with surprise before one spoke ''Commander, we can't let someone we know nothing about join us! Pirates have attempted to spy on us i the past, we need to do a background check.''

''My dream is to become a marine!'' Coby declared with determination.

Ripper spoke after a while ''Our life isn't easy. Marines have fallen in the line of duty before...but I will let you join.''

Coby smiled widely, delighted that the first step in his dream was taken.

* * *

''You can't act to save your life, Luffy.'' Zoro teased as they got the boat ready.

Miguel laughed ''Well, half-baked attempt or not, it did work.''

''Shishi, yup, it's just fine!'' Luffy had faith that his friend could fulfill his dream.

The three then heard Coby's voice calling out to them, finding the boy at the port. He was joined by Rika and her mother, who were waving at them happily.''Thank you so much, I'll never forget what you did for me!''

''We'll meet again someday, Coby!'' Luffy called back.

Just then, Ripper and the other marines made their way, giving them a salute along with Coby.

''Heh, marines saluting pirates, definitely a first.'' Zoro smirked

''You have some really good friends there,'' Ripper told Coby.

''Yeah, they really are...''

''All right everyone, what we did was against marine code. Therefore our punishment is 3 days without food!''

''Yes, Sir!''

* * *

''Now this was one hell of a day...'' Zoro remarked. He looked at Miguel. ''...oi, you sure about this? They're going to think you're with us now.''

''It doesn't matter.'' He returned. ''I'll just deal with it if I have to. I don't regret what I did back there, so it's just fine.''

''At the end of this journey, I'll be the King of Pirates!'' Luffy announced.

''You really are determined, huh?'' Miguel remarked.

''Yeah, a little obsessed even...'' Zoro trailed off. ''...any particular reason you want to be the King?''

Luffy lay back ''It's nothing special. Just...I made a promise, that I would gather a crew, find the world's greatest treasure and become the Pirate King.'' His hand fell on his straw hat. ''And this hat knows the whole story.''

Both swordsmen figured there was more to it but they saw no harm in leaving it alone for now.

''I see...''

''All right, we'll head out to the Grand Line!'' Luffy exclaimed.

* * *

 _Well, there you have it._

 _I hope this was good. Just to clarify, Miguel's main specialty is Heavenly Body Magic but he's learned some more spells and studied up to become this skilled. What really caused that war is that the extremists who were in power seized control and everything went to hell. More will be elaborated about this later._

 _Erm, that's all I can think of at the moment but if you have any questions feel free to ask._


	3. Chapter 3

_Well, writing this turned out to be more fun than I expected. Seeing as it's my best chance to do so I decided to just go ahead and post this. I hope you enjoy the chapter._

* * *

Luffy grinned as he enjoyed the winds passing as the boat sailed forth ''It's lucky you came along. This is great!''

''Maybe...'' Miguel seemed exasperated. Zoro could hardly blame him as his next words provided the reason. ''...how exactly were you planning on getting around if neither of you can navigate?''

Zoro didn't like to admit it but that was a problem. He'd mostly didn't care where he traveled depending on circumstance but it was something to think about it.

Luffy on the other hand...well...

''Don't sweat the small stuff.''

It wasn't small stuff but neither swordsman felt like pushing the point. They agreed that they couldn't get him to listen much anyway.

Zoro decided to change the subject ''Come to think of it, did you actually come all the way from home to get money for Elysia? Did you have any other plans, Miguel?''

The wizard took a few moments to think on his answer ''If you asked a few years ago, my answer might have been a little different but yeah. That's pretty much why I came. It was a long shot but it paid off pretty well. I've been wanting to travel for a long time, my parents were adventurers before they got married and even well into it. I've heard plenty of stories from those days, I wanted to make some of my own.''

''Heeh, well that's something. So wait, how do you even send the treasures anyway? You must have or you would've been pretty loaded now.''

''Oh, that's...'' Miguel was distracted by a growl which made him look back to Luffy as he slumped.

''I'm hungry...''

''Already?'' Zoro cocked his head. ''Well, seeing as he ate almost all the food this morning, how about you give him the part you saved, Miguel?''

''I wouldn't mind but he already ate that.''

Zoro's eye twitched as he glared at his new captain, who suddenly appeared cowed.

As he wondered what to do, Luffy noticed a bird flying nearby. ''Hey, look at that! I'll catch it.''

Before either of his companions could react, Luffy rocketed himself to the bird. Zoro and Miguel were momentarily dumbfounded by the sudden motion before the former groaned.

''That idiot! Do you have a spell that can get him back here?''

''One but that bird's already out of my range. We better follow them.'' Miguel stated before he made to redirect their course.

* * *

''Zoro, have I mentioned that I'm glad you're on our side?''

The swordsman cracked a smirk at this, thinking back to how his mere presence scared three pirates they happened to run into to freeze up and obey them. ''You just did. Don't mind that pathetic bunch, lucky you two don't scare that easy.''

''I've seen worse and I'm guessing Luffy did too. It's just that I'm kind of really seeing what effect your reputation has here.''

''Oh that stuff? Eh, most of it is overblown...''

Miguel raised an eye as he looked around the town ''Why's it so empty?''

Zoro couldn't help but wonder the same. They had yet to see a single soul anywhere. And judging by the complete silence, the town seemed to be abandoned. ''Anyway, let's not get distracted here. From the looks of Luffy, he does that enough for all of us.''

''Good point, well...'' Miguel paused as he noticed a man walking out of an alley, he seemed surprised to see them.

''Who are you kids? I thought I saw people before...'' He suddenly frowned. ''...are you pirates as well?''

''As well? You've dealt with some before?''

Miguel's honest curiosity was clear and the man understood that they had no idea what he was talking about.

''Yeah...you must've seen how empty the town is. Everyone's in hiding.''

''Hiding? Why?'' Zoro demanded.

''A pirate crew took over these parts, it's run by Buggy the clown.''

* * *

Luffy was in a different part of town, following a girl with orange hair and brown eyes. What would seem odd to any observer was that she had his arms bound in rope. This was Nami, a girl he had encountered after arriving here. She had made a deal of sorts with him to get a certain item from Buggy.

''You really sure this is going to work?'' He asked curiously.

''Absolutely. You gotta have a little faith. We're allies, right?''

''Yup!''

* * *

The man, who had introduced himself as Boodle, the mayor of Orange Town, nodded as Zoro described Luffy. After learning what was going on here, both swordsmen agreed that it was wise to leave out the fact that Luffy and Zoro were pirates.

''You know, I think I saw him...'' The man admitted. ''...I was on my way to the shop and I heard someone talking. I thought it might be those pirates again but then I saw the kid. He was with this orange haired girl and they were talking something about a plan and an alliance.''

''Alliance?'' Zoro quirked a brow. What was that about?

''Doesn't that sound like the girl those three were talking about?'' Miguel asked him.

''Oh yeah...'' Both thought back to the strange encounter with the pirates. They had been found by three men who belonged to a pirate crew, they tried to take over their boat but Zoro took care of them with little effort. The men lamented their situation, recalling the girl who had tricked them before. ''...so Luffy's dealing with her now. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?''

''Let's not assume the worst yet.'' Miguel offered. ''Mayor, do you have any idea where they might be?''

''Not quite, they weren't too far from here so I think they went in that direction.'' The man gestured to their far left. ''I wouldn't recommend staying here for long, you two. You'd best get your friend and leave.''

''What? Because of those pirates?'' Zoro scoffed. ''It doesn't matter. We'll deal with them.''

The mayor seemed alarmed ''You don't know what you're talking about! Buggy's powerful!''

''Well hiding away isn't going to take care of the problem. What, you think he'll just leave and that's that?''

Miguel gave Zoro a look before addressing Boodle ''I wouldn't quite put it so bluntly but he has a point. We can take care of ourselves, sir. We wouldn't be out here if we couldn't.''

''That too.'' His companion nodded. ''Though we might just leave Luffy hanging back to teach him a lesson for being so reckless.''

''That might be going a little too far.'' Miguel tried to pacify him.

''You're too nice to him.'' Zoro said flatly before he began walking ahead. ''Come on.''

''Erm, Zoro? That's the opposite direction.''

He stiffened and turned back, ignoring Miguel's curious look and Boodle's puzzled one ''Whatever! Come on, let's go.''

* * *

Boodle wound up following the two since it turned out that his destination was in the same direction. As it so happened, the man was the first to pick up on a nearby surprise.

''Oh, that's him! Wait, what's going on?''

''?'' Miguel followed his line of sight.. ''Luffy?''

The teen blinked and looked back, grinning at the sight of his friends. ''Hey, guys! You made it. I wondered where you went.''

''Look who's talking!'' Zoro looked unimpressed. ''What the hell were you thinking anyway? Grabbing that bird was beyond stupid.''

''What do you mean? Everything's fine.''

''Then why are your hands bound?'' Miguel inquired, bringing Zoro's attention to the rope around the teen's hands.

''Oh this? It's part of the plan.'' Luffy looked to the right. ''Hey, Nami! Come on, they're friends!''

A girl came over from said direction, she had orange hair and dark brown eyes that were watching the newcomers with a mix of curiosity and wariness. Luffy then went on ''I found a navigator.''

''I never agreed to that!'' She exclaimed.

''Oh, you're that girl those three pirates were talking about then...'' Zoro realized.

She blinked ''You met those morons? They were going to rob me so I just beat them to it.''

''Right...and what's this about a plan?''

''Nami wants to trick Buggy so she can get the Grand Line chart. I'm helping her.'' Luffy offered, missing the incredulous looks his friends shared.

Boodle wound up voicing their collective thoughts then ''Don't you see anything fishy about that? You could get killed!''

He blinked ''Really?''

''Clearly, we made it in good time.'' Zoro stated while Miguel sighed. ''Luffy, she's a thief. She even stole the boat from those guys. She won't be above setting you up.''

''What was that?!'' Nami looked offended. ''I'm not going to sink to the level of lowly pirates. There are reasons for my actions, I'll have you know.''

''See? It's just fine!'' Luffy chirped.

''You're missing the point, Luffy.'' Miguel shook his head. ''I've been wondering, Mayor, if the whole town's trying to avoid the pirates, why are you out and about?''

''Oh, that's because there's something I need to do.'' He replied before walking past them to a nearby shop, specifically to the dog who was standing in front of it.

''That dog's just mean, old man. You're better off leaving it alone.'' Luffy warned.

''Nah, Chouchou's a really good boy.'' He stroked the dog's head. ''He's refused to leave this place so I make it a point to check on him.''

''Because of the shop?'' Miguel wondered.

''Yup. Good eye, kid. That shop belongs to Chouchou's owner, it's been around for years. Chouchou's taken to guarding it brilliantly.''

''But then where's the owner? Shouldn't he be doing something about this?'' Nami asked.

''I wish...but he died of an illness months ago.'' Boodle informed. ''He was a really good friend of mine, looking out for Chouchou is the least I can do for him.''

Nami frowned ''But then...doesn't he know...''

''I believe he does. Chouchou's a smart dog, that's not what this is about.''

The girl seemed confused at this, then hearing Miguel speak ''...It's his treasure. This might have started for Chouchou's owner but now this place is important to him.'' Boodle nodded, watching as Miguel approached the subject of their conversation and held out a hand to him. Chouchou sniffed it a couple of times before approaching the young man, who stroked his head then. The dog began to smile and wag his tail ''You're one loyal little guy, I bet your owner's proud of you. Anyone would want to protect what's important to them but it still takes plenty of courage.''

''Yeah, that's cool!'' Luffy chipped in, grinning. He tried petting Chouchou but the dog tried to bite him again.

Nami gave him a flat look ''What did you think would happen after all that fooling around from before? You obviously got on his nerves.''

The teen just sulked ''You're cool but you're a jerk too...''

''I found you!''

The group started at the new voice, following it to the source to find a man with fluffy white hair that somewhat resembled a dog with a lion next to him.

Zoro raised a brow ''Who's that?''

Boodle flinched ''He's Beast Tamer Mohji, Buggy's first mate!''

''Really? That guy?''

''That's right!'' The new arrival seemed pleased due to Boodle's fear. ''I've been ordered to capture the thief who stole from our treasure. Captain Buggy was furious when he found out, he won't let you get away, little girl.''

Nami grit her teeth but said nothing. She had actually taken some of the treasure when she tricked the pirates into thinking she wanted to join them before, she just hadn't thought they would catch on so quickly.

''Relax, I won't let that weirdo get to you.'' Luffy assured.

''Who're you calling a weirdo?!'' Mohji snapped.

''You are.'' The teen returned. ''Jeez, you're dumb too. I mean, look at your hair.''

''Now that's just rude! This is a good hairstyle!''

''That's exactly what he's talking about.'' Zoro deadpanned. He completely agreed with Luffy on this one.

''Grr, I'll show you brats a thing or two! But first, hand the treasure over, girl!'' Mohji commanded.

''No way! It's my treasure!'' Nami retorted.

''Spoken like a true thief! Well then, I'll just have to teach you a lesson. Don't underestimate me, I can tame any beast out there.'' Mohji looked at Chouchou. ''Watch. Dog, Sit!'' No response. ''All right, shake!'' Again, no response. Now annoyed, Mohji began trying to force him but Chouchou responded by biting his hand, making him yelp.

''If their captain's a clown, I guess it stands to reason that he would affect some of the crew.'' Miguel muttered, Luffy burst out laughing at this while Zoro smirked.

Mohji's attention was still on Chouchou ''Fine then, Richie, sic that dog!''

Luffy tried to intervene, pushing the lion back. But then Richie smacked him back, making him hit a wall. Just as the teen's comrades were about to step in, Mohji spoke ''What's with you?'' He noted how the lion seemed to be looking at the pet shop. ''Oh, so you're hungry? Well, have at it.''

Richie needed no further prompting, jumping at the shop at once. Chouchou reacted at once too and bit the lion's leg in an attempt to stop him. Growling, Richie swatted him aside and kept going.

''Stop!'' Nami cried out.

''Ah-ah,'' Mohji wagged a finger, now standing close to Chouchou, hand on a rock nearby. One push and it would hurt Chouchou badly. Luffy, who had been about to jump in, also froze. ''One move and the dog gets it.''

Zoro scowled ''Coward...''

He sneered in return ''Say what you want, what matters is that I'm winning here.''

Miguel grit his teeth as they watched the store begin to fall apart ''Not for long...''

Before he could question this, Mohji and Richie were thrown up into the air by an unseen force. The pirate cried out in shock while his pet flailed helplessly. Miguel snapped his fingers and the two crashed down.

Nami's eyes went wide and Boodle seemed stunned while Zoro smirked ''Nice.''

Luffy scowled ''You're going to pay for that!''

''Oh, big time.'' Miguel agreed and they attacked.

The first proceeded to aim a punch at Mohji, who scampered out of the way to dodge it but he was easily kicked right into a wall a second later.

The latter rounded on Richie, the lion tried to pounce on him. Miguel's eyes narrowed and he held out an arm ''Re-quip.''

A crimson spell circle flashed into existence before a sheathed sword with a green and white pommel appeared in his hand.

Miguel jumped up above the lion and hit his head with the sheathed sword before uttering ''Wind burst.''

The lion was struck by strong gales that made it hit the ground hard and black out.

Mohji recoiled in shock and fear as Luffy and Miguel turned to face him ''N-no way...''

''They beat them up just like that?'' Boodle looked amazed.

''I told you we can take care of ourselves,'' Zoro reminded, seeming amused by the whole thing.

''I-I'm sorry!'' Mohji quailed.

''You really a coward! That's not going to fix anything.'' Luffy glared down at him. ''If it wasn't for Miguel you would have destroyed the whole shop, you jerks.''

''P-p-please forgive me!''

''Apologize to the dog!'' Luffy ordered.

Mohji looked incredulous ''You can't be serious...''

The former wasn't about to let him off ''Now!''

''S-sorry...'' Mohji cringed at Luffy's glare. ''...I'm really sorry!'' He ran off.

Boodle frowned as he looked at Chouchou, who was watching the shop with clear sadness ''They really are terrible...''

Nami scowled ''Pirates are all the same...they just take what's important to people...''

''If only it were that simple...'' Miguel walked out from the shop, a sphere of wind behind him holding what they realized was some of the merchandise. He went to Chouchou and lowered the sphere till it disappeared. ''...Sorry, this was the best I could salvage.'' He placed a hand on the dog's head, Chouchou was surrounded with silvery white light then. It took the observers a moment to see that it was healing his injuries.

Miguel looked back at the others ''I put up a shield to help keep it steady. It'll hold for a while. I don't know much about building so that seemed for the best.''

''It's more than enough, thank you.'' Boodle assured.

Chouchou seemed to agree as he proceeded to bark happily and lick the wizard then. Luffy and Zoro exchanged amused looks while Nami took the whole thing in, looking from Luffy to Miguel and back, having understood that they had done all this for Chouchou.

Boodle couldn't help smiling as he watched the dog thank a now laughing Miguel. Something the young man said had him curious though''Say, what did he mean if only it were that simple?''

''Let's just say Miguel and the people of Elysia had to deal with more than their fair share of assholes.'' Zoro offered. ''And they weren't all pirates.''

''He's from Elysia? Ah, now it makes sense...''

''So what happens now?'' Zoro went on.

''We're taking Buggy down.'' Luffy declared.

The swordsman smirked ''I was hoping you'd say that.''

Boodle started ''Wait, are you sure about this? I admit, you kids are strong but Buggy's pretty tough.''

''It'll be fine, you'll see.'' Luffy assured.

It soon became clear that Mohji wasn't the only one sent to find Nami and get what she stole back as many pirates had spread out through the city to search. Luffy, Zoro and Miguel were able to beat them without much preamble.

''Wow, you guys are tough...'' Nami mumbled.

''I told you!'' Luffy grinned brightly.

''You guys sure you want to come?'' Zoro looked at Nami and the mayor. ''Neither of you wanted to fight.''

''I can't just...'' Boodle never got to finish because of what happened next.

A loud bang reached their ears before they were able to see a few houses blown away. The mayor grit his teeth, this was just too much ''...that bastard! I won't let him get away with this!''

He began to run but was forced to stop when Miguel grabbed his arm ''Hold it. What do you think rushing off is going to do now?''

''How can I just stay back and do nothing? I've had it with those pirates!'' The mayor exclaimed. ''Don't you understand that I want to protect my home?''

''It's _because_ I understand that I won't let you do this.'' Miguel said sternly. ''Sorry to be blunt but you weren't even willing to entertain the idea of fighting Buggy before, I can't see you changing much of anything now.''

Nami did agree but he didn't have to word it like that. ''Hey, wait...'' She stopped when he held up a hand before continuing.

''I get that you really want to keep the town safe but this isn't the way to do it. Just think, you can help in a different way. You're the mayor, people count on you to keep the town going, are you going to let them down now?''

Boodle lowered his head, knowing he was right. The wizard's stance on this helped him calm down somewhat. He still really wanted to do something about Buggy and his crew but the question was, could he?

''It's okay, we're going to fight those jerks anyway.'' Luffy chipped in. ''We need to get the sea chart too. We can just make them leave.''

''Why not? Sounds good to me.'' Zoro added.

''...Thank you.'' Boodle said at last. ''We heard that the bastard's staying at the Drinker's Pub. It's not too far from here.''

''All right, lead the way.''

* * *

The sound of loud laughter came as they drew close to their destination. The source turned out to be a man with long blue hair and a big red nose sitting near a cannon, which seemed to be the source of the devastation they had seen before. A number of men were crowded near him.

''That's more like it! With my powers, I'm sure to conquer the Grand Line!'' He crowed.

''That's right, Captain Buggy!'' The pirates returned.

Mohji happened to be the first to see the group of five making their way through. ''A-ah! Captain, it's them!''

''Hm?'' The man turned, sneering. ''Well, so you're the troublemakers I've heard about. You've even got the traitorous thief with you.''

''I guess your little lackeys came back crying to you after all.'' Zoro stated.

Buggy scoffed ''If it isn't Roronoa Zoro! Have you come for my bounty?''

''No, I left the bounty hunting business. That doesn't matter to me.''

''Really? Well, defeating you would matter to _me._ It's sure to raise my reputation.'' Buggy smirked.

Zoro looked unimpressed ''You can try but you'll fail.''

''Oh yeah? See what you make of this! Men, load the Buggy ball!''

Nami's eyes widened when she saw a few pirates preparing a cannon ball. ''Wait, is he going to use that blast from before? That's crazy!''

Buggy seemed pleased by her fear ''Have you learned who you crossed, little girl? You're going to pay!''

''Nami, old man, stay back.'' Luffy stepped up.

The cannon fired a second later and Luffy smirked ''Gum Gum...Balloon!'' He inflated himself and jumped to block the cannon ball, sending it flying away.

Zoro and Nami looked dumbfounded while Buggy's jaw dropped and the mayor was stunned.

Miguel let out a low whistle ''Heeh, so he can do stuff like that too?''

Nami looked at him ''How did he do that?!''

''Luffy's a devil fruit user.''

''Yup, I ate the Gum Gum fruit!'' The teen added cheerfully.

''Whoa...I guess that's rubber for you...'' Boodle muttered.

''Those things really exist?'' Nami blurted.

''Sure they do, it's just that they're plenty more common in the Grand Line.'' Miguel offered.

Well, that explained why he was so calm about this. Nami supposed growing up in the Grand Line and around magic left Miguel open-minded.

''So he was a devil fruit user like the Captain?'' Mohji muttered.

Said captain growled ''I didn't expect that but it doesn't matter. I'll take you all down!''

''Hold on, captain,'' a new voice said as a man with long hair that was shaved on one side and dark eyes appeared. ''I want to fight first, I'll teach them a lesson. Let me defeat Roronoa Zoro.''

Buggy smirked ''Go wild, Cabaji.''

Zoro's eyes narrowed ''You heard him, Luffy. Any problem with me going first?''

''Nope, kick his butt!'' was his answer.

''I plan to.''

''That's Buggy's second mate.'' Nami remarked. ''Are you sure this is okay?''

''Zoro can do it. No one should interfere.'' Luffy stated.

''Yeah! We get to see Cabaji's Acrobatic Show!'' The surrounding pirates cheered.

This left some of the observers confused but things started to make sense when they saw the man draw his sword while riding on a unicycle.

''Roronoa Zoro, as one great swordsman to another, it will be an honor to cut you down.'' Cabaji stated. ''Acrobatics: Old Man's Flame!'' Cabaji let out a big burst of fire from his mouth, which Zoro tried to avoid. Cabaji tried to stab him but Zoro was quick to match the move and push him back.

''Acrobatics: Climbing the Mountain!'' Cabaji quickly began riding up a wall and leapt off to attack Zoro from behind.

He was surprised when Zoro easily avoided the move and cut him with a couple of quick slashes. The two soon quickly clashed time and again, meeting each strike from their adversary.

''Whoa, he's really matching blades with Cabaji!'' A pirate exclaimed.

''Wow!''

''I wouldn't be so sure.'' Miguel's lips twitched.

It soon turned out that he was right. Cabaji may have been able to meet Zoro's attacks for the most part but he was clearly getting worn out. It was clear who had the upper hand here.

''Is that all you got?'' Zoro demanded.

''Grr...I won't lose! Acrobatics: Theatre of One Hundred Kamikaze Tops!'' Cabaji launched a bundle of metal tops that began spinning around them. A few flew at Zoro but he quickly cut them down. More came at him, spinning fast, leaving him with no choice but to cut them up.

This was clearly a distraction as Cabaji went to attack again ''Acrobatics: Murder Case in the Steam Bath!'' He twirled his sword the ground, creating a cloud of dust.

''You know, you keep calling it something like acrobatics but all you're doing is a bunch of pathetic tricks!'' Zoro taunted.

''Oh yeah? How's this for pathetic? Sting of the Unicycle!'' Cabaji prepared to strike again.

Then, something strange happened. The two felt an unseen force nearby before hearing a pirate cry out.

''Hey, is that...?''

'That' turned out to be a hand holding a knife, one that was dangerously close to Zoro. Said hand was surrounded in a strange violet aura that seemed to be keeping it from moving.

Luffy, who had seen something like this before, looked at Miguel questioningly.

''Sorry guys, I know your policy on fighting your own battles...'' Miguel's eyes narrowed as he leveled a glare at a stunned Buggy. ''...but I'm not about to sit back and watch this. Stop, or else.''

Zoro scowled as he understood what happened ''So that's what the supposedly powerful Captain Buggy is about? Dirty tricks?''

''That's low, you big nose!'' Luffy snapped.

''Who are you calling a big nose, you bastard?!'' Buggy retorted before looking at Miguel. ''And you, who do you think you're threatening?!''

''A coward.'' He returned, unfazed by his anger.

''Yeah, that's right!'' Luffy added.

''What was that?!'' Buggy snarled. ''What do you think you can do to me, huh?''

''You really want to find out?'' Miguel raised a hand and Buggy's trapped hand was elevated with it a moment later.

''T-that's telekinesis...'' He managed, clearly trying to wrench his hand free. ''...you, you were a wizard all along!?''

''Zoro, he won't be interfering again. You're free to finish this.'' Miguel stated.

Zoro smirked in return ''Gladly...''

''Finish this? Don't be absurd!'' Cabaji snapped. ''He's not about to beat me!''

''Says the guy who needed his captain to hold his hand in a duel.'' The swordsman retorted. ''Cowardly tricks aren't about to stop me. I'll show you the difference between us!''

Zoro leveled his three swords before charging at Cabaji, who also attacked at the same time. ''Oni-giri!''

Cabaji froze as the former cut his chest, beginning to fall as the wounds became clear for all to see.

''Cabaji!''

''How...could we lose...to thieves?'' He wheezed as he collapsed.

''See, that's where you're wrong.'' Zoro retorted. ''We're pirates!''

''All right, Zoro won!'' Luffy cheered while Miguel smiled.

Boodle appeared stunned. ''They're really defeating Buggy's crew...''

Said pirate was livid ''That does it! I'll show those bastards!''

''I'll fight you!'' Luffy declared. ''My crew already fought and won against your guys, it's my turn!''

''His crew, huh? I think he's counting you along.'' Zoro told Miguel, who shrugged with a bemused look.

''Just leave it at that for now.''

''Oh? So you were a pirate this whole time?'' Buggy smirked as Luffy had Miguel cancel his spell to make the fight fair. ''Fine, I'll take you on.''

Boodle was surprised. Those three were pirates the whole time? He might have been more angry at this but they were clearly different from the people who had been terrorizing his home. They didn't seem so bad to him...

''Just looking at you irritates me...what with that straw hat that looks like that red hair...'' Buggy started.

''Red hair? You mean Shanks?'' Luffy clarified.

''So what if I do?''

''You know where he is?'' Luffy asked.

''Maybe I do and maybe I don't, what does it matter?'' Buggy huffed.

Luffy frowned ''Are you some kind of idiot?''

''You think I'm just going to tell you like that?!''

Miguel looked confused ''As in 'Red Hair' Shanks, the Yonkou? Luffy knows him?''

''Yup!'' The teen, who happened to overhear him, answered. ''He gave me this hat!''

Zoro raised an eye, similarly surprised. His captain had mentioned that a pirate gave him the hat but he never thought it was someone like that...

''What did you say?! That's Shanks' hat?'' Buggy exclaimed. ''No wonder it looked familiar!''

''So you _do_ know him!'' Luffy returned.

''Yeah, I do...'' Buggy ground his teeth. ''...and I'll never forgive that flashy bastard! He just got lucky but I'll get him...!'' Luffy punched him.

''Don't talk about Shanks like that! He's a great man!''

''I'll say whatever I want about him!'' Buggy snapped.

''What happened between you two?'' Miguel looked between the two pirates. This was strange. Luffy seemed to admire the man but Buggy clearly despised him. What on earth could cause something like this?

''Yeah, spit it out! What's your problem with Shanks?'' Luffy added.

''You want to know? Fine!''

* * *

And that was when they learned how Shanks and Buggy were apprentices on the same pirate crew. They were actually friends as they trained together, despite their numerous spats, many of which bordered on ridiculous.

Shanks had wanted to start a crew of his own once they were done being apprentices and so did Buggy. They were clearly going to be rivals as they definitely couldn't work together. One day, the crew found a Devil Fruit and Buggy heard they were very valuable so he decided to sell it. He tricked the crew into think it was just a normal fruit but then his trick backfired as Shanks came across him that night and he hid the fruit in his mouth to hide it. Shanks ended up startling Buggy so much that he swallowed the fruit.

When he tried to get back at his fellow apprentice, he ended up dropping a valuable treasure map and so he dove after it. But the devil fruit's effect quickly kicked in and he couldn't swim. Shanks saved him but Buggy had lost the chance to get the treasure from the map, which happened to be underwater.

''That's why I'll never forgive him! Not only did he delay my plans for ten years, now I'll have to settle for taking treasures on the sea with my Chop Chop fruit!'' Buggy finished.

Miguel felt that there was only one appropriate response to this. ''...Luffy, Zoro, I think we can agree that this guy's a certified idiot.''

''Yup.'' ''Definitely.''

''What?!'' Buggy growled.

Miguel spared him a flat look. The man had not only schemed to trick his friends but he also had the gall to blame all his misfortune on the one who saved him. He wasn't earning any sympathy here.

''You keep trying to make excuses but the fact is you ate a devil fruit and jumped into the ocean. That's asking for trouble.''

Boodle couldn't help but nod in agreement, dumbfounded by the sheer ridiculousness here. Was this really the pirate who had terrorized them?

''It wasn't like that!'' Buggy exclaimed. ''It's that bastard's fault!''

''Miguel's right, if anything, one might say your schemes backfired at you. You've got no buisness talking like that.'' Zoro stated.

''Yeah, Shanks saved your life!'' Luffy added.

''Were you even listening to me?!'' Buggy hollered. ''Grr, enough of this! I'll beat you right here!''

''That's not going to happen.'' Luffy raised a fist.

''Bara Bara...Rice Cracker!'' Buggy's body seemed to break apart and then spin rapidly as it floated towards Luffy.

The teen dodged the segments, looking confused. ''Is that what his devil fruit let him do?''

''That's right!'' Buggy crowed. ''I'm a splitting man, I can split my body apart and control it easily.''

'''Kay, that's really weird.'' Luffy stated.

''You're one to talk, Rubber man.'' Zoro suddenly started as he realized that some of Buggy's Rice Cracker attack was coming at them. He began drawing his blades but there was no need.

Miguel held up his sword ''Storm Wind.''

A green magic circle appeared in front of him before unleashing a blistering gale that had Buggy crying out as he tried and failed to get away, leaving his parts to be sent flying back.

''Luffy, fair warning, if this keeps up, I'm fighting too.'' Miguel informed.

''Gotcha. It's fine though, I'll beat him! Gum Gum Whip!'' Luffy didn't like anyone interfering with fights but this one he could understand. His friends were free to defend themselves after all.

Buggy quickly moved to dodge Luffy's oncoming foot but the teen simply moved it along till it got him, leaving him to fall down. He got to move as Luffy attacked again

''Bara bara Quick Escape!''

Buggy quickly gathered his remaining segments and flew back. ''Now, Bara Bara Cannon!''

Luffy dodged Buggy's hands as they flew at him quickly, one holding a knife and the other reared up in a fist.

''Gum Gum Whip!''

Buggy cried out as one of his hands were hit, making him drop the knife. ''That does it, Bara Bara Festival!''

His body separated into segments, with his head flying up before all the segments began to attack Luffy. The teen dodged a punch only to be forced to block a kick and tank another when he heard Buggy yell.

''Hey! That's mine!''

''Eh?''

This brought attention to Nami, who was trying to sneak away with a big bag which was clearly full of treasure.

''No wonder we couldn't see her anywhere. So that's what she's up to...'' Zoro trailed off.

''Give that back!'' Buggy charged at her, making one of his hands grab the bag.

''No way, it's mine!'' Nami retorted.

''As if!'' The two began a little tug of war and it seemed Buggy would have the upper hand as he moved his segments closer...

But suddenly, the pirate froze and let out a little squeak. Confused, everyone began looking around until they saw that Luffy had kicked the older pirate in between his legs.

''Oh...''

''...That's dirty...not that he doesn't deserve it...'' Miguel and Zoro looked equally thrown off by the sudden move.

''We're still fighting, you jerk!'' Luffy called out.

Buggy forced himself up, groaning as he glared back ''I'll kill you for that, you little brat! Bara Bara...Rice Cracker!''

''Gum Gum Muchi!''

''Hah!'' Buggy laughed as he dodged the attack. ''Too slow!''

But Luffy seemed unfazed ''Gum Gum Pistol!''

He aimed the punch at the cocky pirate's face, leaving him to cry out as he hit the rocks below and blacked out.

''N-no way...''

''Captain!''

''He lost?!''

''Yeah, he did. Feel like trying your luck next?'' Zoro demanded, placing a hand on his sword.

The remaining pirates cringed in fear and did what they thought was best. They gathered Buggy and took off.

* * *

''Thank you, thank you!'' The mayor bowed. ''I can never thank you enough for this. We'll be able to move on and bring the town back to the way it was!''

''Good for you.'' Luffy returned.

''Oh and Miss, feel free to take what you want of that treasure. I may not know why but you seem to need it.''

''More than you think...'' Nami admitted, ignoring the curious looks this drew. ''...thanks, Mayor.''

''Speaking of treasure, you should take these.'' Miguel gave Boodle some gems. ''I found them on our way back here. That cannon ball probably wrecked the pirates' storage area. One thing you can say about Buggy is that he has an eye for treasure. You'll need something to help you start rebuilding.''

''Yes, but are you sure? I heard about Elysia, considering how your homeland needs whatever funds on hand...'' Boodle started.

''That's just why.'' The wizard cut in. ''I've gotten my own share for that. Besides I can't just not do anything when you're going through trouble like we're dealing with. It's all right, I've been at this for a while. For what it's worth, the only thing I'd really expect of you now is to fix up the pet store.''

Boodle laughed ''Consider it done! Thank you, again, I wish you all good luck.''

As the four made to leave, they were startled by a familiar bark, making them look back to see that Chouchou had arrived, likely wanting to see them off with the mayor.

''Hey, good to see you!'' Luffy waved.

Zoro stretched his arms out ''Man, for being such a famous pirate, Buggy was a flat-out joke. It's even hard to make fun of him when he does such a good job of it himself.''

''You think he was bad before? You should have seen him back at their stupid celebration.'' Nami shook his head. ''He really is an idiot.''

''Oh, Nami, so are you going to be our navigator?'' Luffy asked excitedly.

''For the last time, I won't be a pirate.'' Nami said firmly. ''But I guess I can work with you guys for a while.''

* * *

''Say, Zoro?''

He opened an eye to look at Nami, who was watching Luffy and Miguel talk on the other end of the boat. ''I've been wondering about some of the things the mayor said...what was that about Miguel's home?''

''You don't know? Elysia's more or less on the recovery from a war. Miguel's looking for treasure so he can send back for them to help the relief effort.''

Her eyes widened at this _'It's like with me...'_

As it so happened, the others were talking about that. ''That was really nice of you back there.'' Luffy remarked.

Miguel smiled in return ''I thought it was for the best...Luffy?'' The teen made a questioning noise. ''Is this what being a pirate's like? Having friends and going on adventures?''

Luffy grinned ''You bet! Pirates are more free than anyone else!''

''That sounds nice...''

* * *

 _Well, how was it? I hope you would share your feelings on the story with me._


	4. Chapter 4

_beenjammin0421: Glad the story got you interested. I'm planning on pairing Miguel with Robin actually, but that's something down the line. I just couldn't figure out how to work the story tabs to make the pairing clear before. Miguel's description is over in Chapter 1._

* * *

''Honestly, how careless can you guys be?'' Nami wondered upon realizing that Miguel was the only one with experience in navigation. ''You must've been getting by on luck before.''

''Everything's fine, isn't it? Don't worry about the small stuff.'' Luffy returned.

''It's not small stuff!'' She retorted. ''Ugh, clearly Miguel's the only other one with at least a lick of common sense here...''

Aforementioned young man was examining a map to find their next possible route. Zoro made to look over his shoulder ''So we closing in on any islands yet?''

Miguel nodded ''There's one called Gecko Island, how about we stop there for supplies?''

''Sounds good. It's about time we get some booze.''

''And meat!'' Luffy added without missing a beat.

''There's more to it than that, you idiots!'' Nami snapped.

''Well...at least we agree on the general idea, let's just make sure we get there.'' Miguel said at last.

* * *

They took a little time to talk as they were closing in on their destination...

Luffy huffed ''What's with you? I just asked why you were traveling.''

''I told you before! I'm going to get a 100,000 berri.'' was all Nami had to say.

''Yeah but why?''

''It's none of your buisness!''

''Meanie...'' Luffy pouted. ''...come to think of it, what about you, Miguel? Are you just for the money? We didn't get to ask.''

''We almost did...'' Zoro countered. ''...but _someone_ just had to be an idiot and grab that bird.''

Miguel gave a bemused look ''Well, you know why I left Elysia when I did, but there was actually another reason I would've wanted to travel anyway.'' The three looked at him with varying amounts of curiosity. ''There's something I'm hoping to find. Have you ever heard of the Serenity Crystal?''

They responded negatively and he went on ''Well, it is more common in the Grand Line even with the way it is...See, I read about it in one of my parents' books. It's a legendary item that apparently belonged to our ancestors. They say that it's enchanted with powerful magic, formed from a phoenix's core, so even if destroyed, it can reform again. Apparently, it glows with the seven colors of a rainbow.''

''That sounds really cool!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''Amazing!'' Nami agreed in awe, imagining the item.

''So...you don't think it's unbelievable? You'd be one of the first not to call this idea ridiculous.''

''Why would we?'' Luffy cocked his head.

''I'm with him. If you believe it, that's good enough.'' Zoro shrugged. ''But, you already know that, right? That's why you're trying to find it.''

Miguel smiled and nodded ''I never knew them but my parents were adventurers, that's how they met. Both really enjoyed traveling and they would have kept it up if it wasn't for the battles in Elysia. That crystal was their last goal before they had to put it away to help our people. I thought what they did was amazing, so I want to find it.''

''I get it, that's sweet.'' Nami smiled. So it was his way of finalizing their work, in a sense.

Things took an interesting turn just after they arrived at shore...

''Halt, pirates!'' A teen wearing brown overalls and brown shoes, having black hair held by a bandanna held up a slingshot as he stared them. ''If you're thinking of attacking the village, back away now! I have 80 million followers on the island waiting!''

''WHAT?!'' Luffy's jaw dropped. ''80 million?! That's awesome!''

His three companions were far less impressed. Zoro spared Luffy a flat look ''You're really falling for this?''

''80 million? Nah...'' Miguel began to smirk. ''...my guess is something pretty lower than that. Right, guys?''

''Mmhm,'' Nami gave a sly grin. ''Somewhere along the lines of three.''

Usopp stiffened ''Crap! They know!''

''We do now.'' Nami chirped while Miguel held back a laugh and Zoro smirked.

''He was lying?!'' Luffy exclaimed.

At this, the flags dropped and he started as three young boys came out of the bushes and ran away. ''H-hey! Gah! How could I have been so stupid?!''

''Hey, this guy's actually trying to fight with that slingshot!'' Luffy remarked.

Nami quirked a brow ''That's definitely a first...''

Luffy chuckled ''You're interesting!''

Usopp frowned ''Don't mock me, I'm a man of great pride! Usopp the Proud! My skills with a slingshot is greater than that of a pistol!''

''Well then...'' Luffy took a serious tone. ''...you should bet your life on it. That's not an object you can just scare people with.''

Zoro's smirk widened, drawing a sword. He suspected where Luffy was going with this and he wanted to see the results. ''The man who stands before you is a real pirate.''

Usopp, who had already been shaking and starting to sweat at Luffy's tone, really began to sweat at Zoro's words.

''I-I knew it...a real pirate talking is much more intimidating...wow...'' He uttered.

He was surprised by the laughter that followed this. Moreso by Luffy's next statement. ''I just repeated something that Shanks, the pirate I admire said.''

Usopp blinked ''Wait, Shanks? That amazing pirate? You know him?''

''Sure do! You're Yasopp's son, right?''

''What?! How do you know my father?''

* * *

Very much interested in hearing more and wanting to make up for what he did, Usopp took the group of four to a restaurant. Soon they were settled and happily eating and chatting away.

''Your dad talked about you a lot, almost enough to make my ears bleed.'' Luffy stated. ''That's why I figured it was you back at the beach. You look a lot like him, except for the nose.''

''Whoa...I knew why he left but I never thought he was part of Shanks' crew...'' Usopp trailed off.

''Since things are going this well, do you know where we can find a ship in this town?'' Nami inquired.

''You can't.'' Usopp returned. ''This is just a small village. I'm sorry but it just won't work.''

''Are you sure? I was thinking we could ask the people in that big mansion on that hall.''

''Stay away from there!'' He cried, leaving them startled.

''Oi, what...'' Zoro started.

Usopp laughed awkwardly ''Ah, I just remembered there's something I need to do!' He left.

''What was that about?'' Zoro cocked his head as they exchanged puzzled looks.

It wasn't long before the four were found by the three kids they had glimpsed earlier. They were Usopp's friends and pirate crew, Ninjin, Piiman and Tamanegi.

''We found you!'' Ninjin scowled.

''What have you done with our captain, you fiends?!'' Tamanegi demanded.

''That was real good food!'' Luffy chirped, the kids stiffened as a horrible thought formed in their minds.

''Ah, you just missed him.'' Miguel remarked idly.

Zoro seemed to guess what the kids were thinking because he smirked ''What he means is that if you're looking for your captain, we ate him!''

''What?!'' The three kids recoiled.

Nami and Miguel were clearly struggling not to laugh as one of them cried ''You savages!''

''Cannibals!''

''How could you?!''

''Why are you looking at me?!'' Nami demanded while the boys started laughing.

Miguel chuckled ''All right, all right, I meant what I said before. You just missed him. Usopp said he had something important to do. I think he went up to that mansion on the hill.''

Piiman blinked ''Oh...then he's going up to lie again.''

Zoro raised an eye ''Lie?''

''Again? Wait, that's a bad thing, you know.'' Nami pointed out with a raised eye.

''No, it's really good!'' Ninjin said.

''Oh yeah? How?'' Luffy asked then.

The trio smiled as Piiman replied ''Come on, we'll show you!''

* * *

Along the way, the three kids explained how they wound up becoming Usopp's crew and a little about their adventures. Then they elaborated about the situation they were heading to. Kaya, the heiress who lived in the mansion, has been sickly ever since her parents died. Usopp went occasionally to the mansion to cheer her up by telling her stories.

''Heeeh, that really is nice of him.'' Miguel remarked.

''Right?'' Piiman grinned. ''Captain's the best!''

The kids proceeded to show them a way to sneak in, since they doubted they would be allowed otherwise. Just when it looked like they could be found, Luffy acted.

''Gomu Gomu...Sorry to intrude!'' He grabbed the others and stretched, catapulting them over the fence, to their shock.

Fortunately, Miguel was able to do something about this before they would land and really get hurt, using gravity magic to slow down their descent and land safely.

''What was that for?!'' Nami slapped Luffy on the back of his head. ''We don't all have rubber bodies, you jerk! That could've gotten really bad!''

''Rubber bodies?'' Piiman echoed.

Zoro fixed Luffy a dark look before grunting ''Next time the need comes, we're trying Miguel's methods.''

''Absolutely, Luffy's are hazardous to everyone's health.'' Nami stated.

''You guys are mean...'' He sulked.

''Shut up!'' They snapped.

''A devil fruit? Oh, so that's how...'' Ninijin blinked as Miguel told them how that happened. ''...those things are real...''

''Mmhm, pretty rare around these parts though.''

''Well then, how...'' Tamanegi was distracted when he saw Usopp sitting on a tree branch. ''...hey, there's the captain!''

Usopp was facing a girl sitting on a bed near the window, both looked surprised to see them. The blonde girl was confused ''Who are they?''

''Oh, ah...you know, Kaya, I told you about my crew before. Those guys came looking to join us.''

''Let's not get carried away here.'' Zoro warned, leaving the teen sheepish.

''Never mind that.'' Luffy looked at Kaya. ''Excuse me, we're looking to find a ship. Can you help us?''

''Oh...'' Kaya blinked. ''...no, I'm sorry. I wouldn't mind but I don't think we have any.''

''Awww...''

Usopp spared him an annoyed look ''I told you, you wouldn't find any.''

''Well, I had to try! And...'' Luffy made to go on but then a new voice called out.

''I thought I heard something.''

A man with glossy black hair in a fancy suit and golden glasses came around the corner. His eyes narrowed ''You're trespassing, leave at once!''

''Klahadore, they're...'' Kaya started.

''It's fine, Miss Kaya. I'll take care of this. We can talk later.'' Klahadore cut her off. ''I want you all to leave. Is that understood?''

''Well yeah, but we were just looking for a ship...'' Luffy offered.

''Then go somewhere else!'' Klahadore glared. ''I see Usopp-kun with you...no wonder you seemed like a troublesome bunch.'' He looked at the teen. ''Come down from there!''

Usopp started at his tone, resulting in him falling a second later. ''Oww...''

''You've garnered quite the impressive reputation, Usopp.'' Klahadore remarked. ''Famous for braving many dangers, no?''

''You bet!'' Usopp grinned proudly. ''You can call me Captain Usopp!''

Klahadore chuckled darkly ''That's quite the big talk for someone with such a family...''

''What?''

''I know about your father.'' The man stated. ''He's nothing but a low life pirate who selfishly pursued his ambitions.''

''What did you say?!'' Usopp scowled while Luffy's eyes narrowed.

''It's only the truth.''

''Klahadore, that's enough!'' Kaya cried.

But it fell on deaf ears. Klahadore sneered at her friend ''So what do you want from the young miss? Money? You must take after him, that's the only reason I can see for that proclamation you just made. It's just something a no good scoundrel would do.''

''Cease this at once!'' Kaya called.

''Take that back!'' Usopp snapped.

''I won't. You've always been such a liar, I would imagine it would be easy for you to make up some elaborate story to hide the truth about your father.'' The butler went on relentlessly. ''An apple doesn't fall far from the tree, after all...they're the same rotten...''

This was the last straw for Usopp, who punched the man hard.

Klahadore sat up ''I was right! Just resorting to violence...like father, like son...''

''I don't know about that.'' Miguel interjected. ''I'd say it's a fair reaction when you're insulting his family. One might even consider this provocation. You're hardly coming off as a saint here, you know.''

''Yeah, lay off!'' Luffy snapped. ''Yasopp isn't like that at all!''

''That's right. I am proud that my father is a pirate!'' Usopp declared. ''He's a brave warrior of the sea! It's true that I am a liar but his blood runs through my veins, I'm not going to let anyone ruin that honor!''

''Such foolishness...'' Klahadore scoffed. ''...brave warriors? Absurd. You just lie and become violent when the need suits you. I don't want you influencing the young miss, you're a danger to her. The fact that your father is a pirate is enough proof!''

''That does it...!'' Usopp lifted him by the collar.

But Kaya then intervened ''Usopp-san, stop! Please! Don't fight...he's just...''

Usopp grimaced and released his fists after a few moments. Klahadore stood, seeming unimpressed ''Leave. Do not ever come back.''

''...I wasn't going to anyway.'' He walked away.

''Stupid butler!'' The Usopp pirates glared at the man. ''Captain Usopp isn't like that!''

''Yeah, Baka!''

''Baka!'' The kids called together, with Luffy joining in after a moment.

''Don't play along with this.'' Zoro chided.

Nami frowned at Klahadore for a moment before looking at them ''Come on, guys, let's go.''

As they walked away, Miguel paused and looked up at Kaya. ''...You shouldn't listen to him. A person's life and worth aren't things so simple that can be decided by who their parents are. I really don't think Usopp cares about your money.''

''I know.'' Kaya returned. ''I'm worried about Usopp-san...could you please help him?''

Miguel nodded and left.

* * *

When he caught up with them, Miguel was curious to find only Nami, Zoro and the Usopp pirates.

''Hey, where'd Luffy and Usopp go?''

''Captain always goes to the cliff when he's upset. That rubber guy went after him.'' Tamanegi replied.

''We'll go look for him!'' With that, the kids took off.

''How about we go look for the supplies like we agreed?'' Nami suggested.

''All right.'' Miguel answered.

''Okay, I've been looking forward to getting some booze.'' Zoro added.

''Is that all you think about?!'' The girl snapped.

* * *

''Sheesh, that brat...''

Zoro looked at the shop owner as he walked back in ''Hey, what's going on? There was a whole lot of ruckus before.''

''Hm? Oh nothing for you to concerned about. Usopp's just trying to mess with us again.'' The man replied. ''Honestly, making up such a lie...the brat went too far.''

The three exchanged curious looks as they got together. ''...I don't think it's as simple as he makes it seem.'' Nami stated.

''Yeah...how about we go find Usopp? Luffy was with him too...something's up.'' Miguel stated and the other two nodded.

It was a little while later that the three found the Usopp pirates talking to their captain not too far from the village.

''...We believe you!'' They heard Piiman say. ''Something about that butler was always fishy, this explains why! We can help!''

''Yeah, let's tell everyone!'' Ninjin added.

''What happened?'' Nami asked him.

''Captain overhead that jerk butler talking to the weird hypnotist, they're pirates! They're going to attack the village tomorrow!''

''What?!''

''Is that true?''

Usopp lowered his head, thinking back. He had just gone to the cliff to calm down and Luffy followed him. But then they found Klahadore, who was actually the pirate Kuro of a Thousand Plans, talking to a man at the beach. The man's name was Jango and they mentioned a plan in the making, which culminates into the attack. Kuro intended to have Jango hypnotize Kaya into writing a will that leaves him her fortune before killing her. As part of that, the Black Cat Pirates were indeed intending to attack Syrup Village. They had been found but Usopp ran as Luffy wound up getting hypnotized by Jango, leaving him to fall off the cliff.

He had tried to warn the people, but no one listened. Usopp started his lies for a number of reasons but he never imagined that they would backfire on him like this. They certainly had though, his habit had garnered a bad rep which left everyone refusing to believe. Sadly, that even included Kaya. What was worse, they all trusted Klahadore over him!

What was he going to do? There had to be some way to stop this! There just had to be...

''Can you help us fight the pirates?'' He heard Ninjin ask Zoro and the others.

The green haired swordsman made to respond but then they were startled by the sound of laughter, making them look at Usopp.

''It's fine, it's fine, you guys! Don't worry, I went too far...'' The teen stood. ''...that butler really pissed me off so I wanted to get back at him.''

''Wait, so you mean...'' Piiman started.

''...pirates aren't coming?'' Tamanegi finished.

''Nope! It was all just a lie.'' Usopp laughed, his crewmates laughed along after a bit.

But that didn't last, the three kids seemed disappointed and they proceeded to explain why.

''How could you, Captain?'' Ninjin frowned.

''I'm starting to lose respect for you. Even though Klahadore was a jerk, making up lies like that is wrong...'' Tamanegi looked at his friends. ''...let's go home.''

Silence settled as the kids walked away, only to be broken as Luffy made his way through the bushes to them.

''Hey, what happened? Did you tell them?''

Usopp's jaw dropped ''You're alive?!''

''Yeah, why wouldn't I be?'' He asked simply.

''Uh, but...I thought...'' Usopp was stumped, considering that the last he had seen of Luffy was after he'd fallen down the cliff.

''Hold on, Luffy, you know what this is about?'' Zoro clarified.

''Yeah! We heard those two guys talking and they're really pirates. They want to kill Usopp's friend!''

''Then why did you lie?'' Nami asked Usopp.

''...It's for the best.'' He admitted, feeling the sting of his crew's words again. ''No one believed me...but I can't put those three at risk. They all think it's a lie and I'll make sure it stays as one! I'll stop those pirates! They tried to attack me and but this is my home and I love it! I'll protect them!''

''That's some resolve.'' Miguel stated.

''Yeah, it's really good to hear you say that.'' Luffy grinned.

Zoro began to smirk ''Well, well, never knew you were like this...''

''We'll help!'' Luffy added enthusiastically. ''We're not leaving like this now.''

Usopp stared at them ''...Why?...I don't want any pity you know!''

''It's nothing like that.'' Miguel informed. ''We've got our own reasons to do it. I'd rather not turn away from something like this. Partly because Kaya asked me to help you before. I doubt we can just leave things as they are, especially after what you just said.''

Usopp stared at the four, who merely smiled back. Zoro then continued ''Exactly. We have our reasons but none of them are pity.''

''I might even be able to get some good treasure from the Black Cat pirates...'' Nami trailed off.

Zoro rolled his eyes ''Good grief...''

''Shut it!''

Luffy just grinned ''You heard everyone. We're fighting, and that's that!''

''Y-you guys...'' Usopp looked like he wanted to cry. He was just so moved...those strangers he met today were willing to help him through what was likely the most dire time in his life. That meant a lot. ''...thanks!''

* * *

With that sorted, they began making plans for the coming day. Usopp explained his belief that they would invade the hill after landing at that beach, stating that they would have to stop the pirates there. For if they go far, beyond the hill, the village was done for.

Miguel had a thought ''Wait...Usopp, you know the island better than any of us. Are you sure the beach is where they'll strike?''

The teen blinked ''Yeah, that's where they met...''

''It doesn't have to mean anything. Kuro's known to be sneaky and crafty, remember? He knows you overheard him too, you never know what to expect with people like that.''

Zoro considered that ''You know, he's got a point. You sure we're not missing anything here?''

''Well...'' Usopp thought this over. ''...wah! Wait a minute, I forgot! There's another beach on the south side!''

''Now you remember?'' Nami sighed, sparing Miguel a grateful look. ''Thank you for that quick thinking. Have I mentioned that I'm glad you're here?'' He gave a bemused look in return.

''Hey, give me a break! I've been through a lot here.'' Usopp whined. ''Moving on! What can you guys do best?''

''Stretching.'' Luffy stated.

''Slicing.'' was Zoro's answer.

Nami went next ''Stealing.''

''Casting.'' Miguel offered.

Usopp blinked ''What do you...?''

''Oh, right-Meteor.'' Miguel flew up. ''Does this help?''

It did. ''T-that doesn't look like some devil fruit...so you're a...''

He just nodded back ''Anyway, how about I stay at a vantage point to scout them? I can easily get any of you to the right place if need be.''

Usopp perked up ''Good idea, that'll be a big help.''

''Hey wait, what can you do best, Usopp?'' Nami inquired.

''Oh...um, hiding...Can I try that?''

''FAT CHANCE!'' Luffy and Zoro retorted.

Usopp laughed a bit ''Aw...come on, I was just kidding...''

Nami snorted ''Sure you were...''

''All right, let's get ready to fight those pirates!'' Luffy called.

* * *

As per their agreement, the four split up and headed towards the two beaches while Miguel tried to keep a vantage point that would let him observe the area. It doesn't take him long to find that he had been right to be cautious, the Black Cats were heading to the second beach. The other one that Usopp remembered later, which was where the teen and Zoro currently were.

Miguel flew to meet Luffy and Nami with Meteor ''Guys, I saw them. They're going to land at the other side.''

''Wait, our boats are there. They could find my treasure!'' Nami exclaimed.

''Let's go!'' Before either knew it, Luffy took off into the forest.

''H-hey!'' Miguel called out.

''Luffy!'' Nami cried.

''...Does he even know where he's going?'' Miguel wondered.

''No idea.'' Nami sighed. They _had_ gone to the beaches yesterday but still... ''Anyway, let's just stick with the plan. He'll have to deal with the consequences of his own actions. We've got to go!''

''Right.'' The first picked her up and cast Meteor again, speeding towards the other cliff.

* * *

''...so I'll let you have all of the treasure on the boat if you go away!'' was the first thing they heard upon reaching their destination.

''What was that?!'' Nami ran and punched Usopp. ''Excuse me, _your_ treasure?''

Usopp held the back of his head, wondering when they got here ''W-well, I had to do something!''

''Why is giving away MY treasure all you have, you coward?! It's not happening!''

Zoro turned to Miguel ''Where's Luffy?''

''He took off before we could stop him.''

The answer made him groan ''That idiot!''

''L-look, we can avoid all this...'' Usopp stuttered.

''I really don't think they'll be that cooperative.'' Miguel remarked, having been keeping an eye on the enemies.

''Yeah, whose to say they wouldn't take the treasure and follow the original plan?'' Zoro pointed out.

Usopp cringed, having not thought of that. Zoro then went on ''Nami's actually right about one thing. We agreed to fight so giving the treasure away isn't a choice.''

One of the Black Cats laughed at this ''You kids think you can beat us?''

Usopp couldn't help grimacing as he eyed the numbers facing them ''...I'll back you guys up from here.''

''So much for that earlier show of courage, Captain Usopp.'' Nami huffed. She was still a little mad about his suggestion, the girl had gone through a lot to get the treasure. Considering that and her reasons for gathering it, the thought of losing it was infuriating.

''Hey, I don't see you going out there to fight!''

''I'm just a girl!''

''Well, I'm just a guy!''

Zoro rolled his eyes at their bickering. Truth be told he did agree with Nami again. Where did that courage Usopp had demonstrated go?

The green haired swordsman looked at the one person here he figured he could on to have his back now. ''You ready?''

Miguel re-equipped a sword with a blue sheath and and a white and dark blue pommel. ''Whenever you are.''

Zoro smirked ''Let's go!''

The two charged, to general surprise. Jango scowled ''Overconfident, aren't we? Get them!''

Two groups charged at his command but both swordsmen met them head-on.

''Three Swords Style...Hawk Wave!''

''Blizzard Crash!'' Miguel stabbed his sword in the ground, a spell circle flashed before the pirates were struck by fierce waves of storm and snow.

Usopp stared on in shock as he watched the two at work, taking down every enemy in their way ''W-whoa...''

Nami merely smiled, already having an idea of how strong the two were, watching Zoro charge towards another group

''Tiger Hunt!'' With a few powerful strikes, they were all defeated.

Miguel faced the side opposite of the green haired swordsman. He was attacked by two swordsman, side stepping the first's blade before striking the second's arm to make him drop the weapon and knocking him out. He struck the first pirate twice with the sheath, striking then with the sword, also making sure this one couldn't fight.

''White Roar!'' The pirates nearby were hit by an pale blue blast of ice, knocking most out.

Zoro observed with a growing smirk, he had been curious about Miguel's sword style for sometime now. He hadn't seen anything like it but he figured since it meshed so well with his magic, it was likely something he was taught in Elysia. Zoro was really interested in sparring with their companion sometime.

That didn't mean he forgot to keep an eye on his surroundings though, proven when he calmly held up one of his blades to stop an oncoming spear. He looked at the pirate behind that and struck him down ''Trying to sneak up, huh? Well, that was never going to work...''

Jango's jaw dropped at the sight of his men all falling apart. No matter what they tried, both swordsmen took them down with skill and power, which they seemed to have in spades.''Who are those kids...?'' He thought for a bit. ''Wait, green hair and three swords...Roronoa Zoro! But him...'' He looked at Miguel. ''...I've never heard of him. How is someone that strong unknown?''

''If that's all they have, we're definitely finishing this before Luffy shows up.'' Zoro remarked.

''Hey, no problem with that!'' Usopp stated.

Jango scowled ''We're not nearly done yet!'' He looked back at their ship. ''Nyaban brothers, I need your help!''

Two pirates jumped down from the ship. They looked a little alike, with the first being skinny and having green hair while the other was more obese with a blanket on his back like a cape. Both had cat-shaped ears and clawed gloves.

''Sham...''

''...and Buchi.'' The second uttered before they spoke in tandem. ''Together we're the Nyaban Brothers!''

''...That's their backup?'' Nami couldn't help but wonder. Usopp looked like he agreed. The two looked ridiculous!

''All right, take care of those brats!'' Jango ordered.

''Uh, Captain...we're just the guards...'' Sham said meekly.

Buchi nodded ''...And they look strong...''

''Just do it!'' Jango cried.

''OK! OK!''

''No need to yell...you're scaring us...''

Zoro looked unimpressed ''This is looking like a joke. I'll handle them.''

He braced himself as Sham attacked, easily fending him off. ''P-please don't hurt me!''

''Take this seriously.'' Zoro said flatly before attacking. But he never got to it as his opponent smirked and proceeded to grab his swords and kick them away. In his surprise, he missed Buchi coming closer.

''Zoro, look out!'' Nami called.

He turned around, just in time to see the second pirate charging in with his claws out. A few got to see someone rush in just then. A second later, the sound of metal clanging filled their air. Buchi's eyes widened as his claws were obstructed by Miguel's ice sword, the wizard standing with his back to Zoro.

''W-when did he...?'' Jango started.

Miguel's eyes narrowed, the sword glowed a little before ice began forming on Buchi's claw. The wizard then slashed at him, destroying the claws and sending Buchi to the ground. The sight made Sham recoil in shock.

Miguel sighed ''Just goes to show, Master Yuan was right...you really always have to keep your guard up in battle.''

''Can't argue with that...'' Zoro mentally cursed himself for forgetting that and falling for the Nyaban Brothers' act. As their enemies attacked again, the two were able to fend them off, though Zoro had some trouble with only one sword.

''I don't think Zoro can fight at full strength with that one sword...'' Nami observed.

Usopp was looking around ''Where are his swords?'' He found the blades after a few moments, one at their far left and the other down below.

''...Let's grab them.'' Nami said after a moment. ''Miguel's got a spell that could bring them really easily back but he doesn't have time to use it with those two fighting them.''

''Right!'' They ran, avoiding all the unconscious pirates along the way. Nami was easily able to grab the sword on her end, but then she heard some yells and turned around finding that a couple of pirates were rushing at Usopp.

Usopp recoiled and thinking fast, held out his slingshot. ''Lead Star!''

The fast projectile hit the first attacker on the jaw, leaving him dazed. Usopp moved back and fire another one at the second pirate, seeing him dodge but he fired more, nailing the pirate on the head and arm.

''All right!'' He grinned as his adversaries stumbled. ''How do you like that?''

Then the two were bashed from behind by a staff, leaving them to fall, revealing Nami behind them.

''Don't start getting a big head, you idiot...'' She lashed out again, making him think she was about to hit him. But Nami's next strike had knocked out a pirate that had been trying to sneak up on them. ''...this is not over, you know that!''

''Sorry...'' Usopp scampered quickly to pick up the sword. He noticed Zoro and Miguel still battling Sham and Buchi, with the latter two dragging the fight on with underhanded tricks. ''...hey, guys, we got the swords!''

''Not for long!'' Buchi prepared to attack them.

Miguel held the sword forward, raising a wall of ice that obstructed his path. He looked back at Nami and Usopp, seeing that the latter was about to attack Sham. ''Don't!'' He used Telekinesis magic to bring the swords to him and give them to Zoro. ''That'll just make him attack you, Zoro can handle this.''

The green haired swordsman soon proved this to be true as he was able to force Sham back to dodge one of his strikes, using the chance to grab his two swords and attack their enemies. Both cried out as they hit the ground hard.

''C-Captain, they're too strong, we need you to hypnotize us.'' Buchi said.

''Hypnosis?'' Usopp blinked.

''Oh come on, like that would work.'' Nami raised an eye.

But Jango seemed willing to go along with this, raising his rings then. He was then forced to the ground by an unseen force. ''Gah!''

Recognizing the gravity spell, Zoro looked at Miguel ''You think it would work?''

''I'm not up for taking any chances. When you grow up around magic you tend to learn to keep an open mind.''

Zoro nodded back, that made sense. Then just as they were about to move, Luffy jumped from the trees high above them, landing between them and the Black Cats.

''Luffy?''

The teen looked back at them, frowning ''Nami, Miguel! Why didn't you tell me where the beach was?''

''And just who was it that ran off without listening to us?'' Miguel said flatly.

''I just got excited, you know?'' was the response.

Nami's eye twitched ''You really are a moron, Luffy. We already checked both places yesterday, it's easy to get here!''

''I thought I could get here by going north. So I went where it seemed coldest.'' Luffy admitted.

''That makes no sense!'' Usopp exclaimed.

''Yeah, you should have gone up.'' Zoro added, making Usopp give him an odd look.

''You think so?'' Luffy cocked his head.

Miguel wanted to correct them but this wasn't the time. ''Guys, focus! We're still...''

The rest of the warning died in his throat as he noticed a bunch of the pirates drawing closer on them, even some they had defeated. The strange part was that all their eyes seemed empty.

''What the...?''

Nami picked up on Jango's suddenly smug attitude ''Wait, don't tell me...?''

The hypnotist was smirking ''Yeah...thanks, kid! You made my work easier. Now, attack!'' Jango ordered.

His men roared and charged. Luffy raised a fist ''I'll take you on! Gum Gum Whip!''

His stretched arm took down a bunch of the pirates together, making them hit some of their comrades. Those who wound up far away tried to attack Nami and Usopp but the two aptly fended them off with Luffy also stepping in to help. Problem was, it didn't take them long to get up.

''You might as well give up now.'' Jango said as they attacked again. ''You can't win!''

Luffy kept on attacking but they still kept getting up, leaving everyone to conclude that not only were the hypnotized pirates stronger but their sense of pain was greatly decreased.

''See? You're just wasting your time.''

But then Luffy did something that surprised everyone. Since he had wound up getting close to the Black Cats' ship in the midst of the fighting, it was easy for him to reach and break the mast. He then proceeded to use the mast as a battering ram against the enemies, easily mowing many down.

''Wha...'' Usopp's jaw dropped.

The remnants were only saved when Jango ordered them to dodge or get away however they can but there was no denying how effective the move was.

''Damn...''

''Oh no...'' Jango uttered.

Zoro raised an eye, noting how he seemed to change his stance all of a sudden. But then he realized that the man was looking up. The swordsman tensed then, suddenly understanding just what they were missing here.

Klahadore, that is to say the pirate captain Kuro of a Thousand Plans had arrived.

* * *

 _Well, I hope this was good. Just to clarify, Miguel's got something kind of like Erza's ability in requipping, only with swords. So he can use elemental magic depending on the sword he has at hand._


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, I just finished Chapter 6 today but I had this one ready before. It's the last of the chapters I had prepared before I decided to publish the story. I figured, might as well wrap the arc up. I hope you like it._

 _beenjammin: Glad you like it. And thanks for pointing the typo out. To answer your question, I mentioned this in the first chapter but the whole reason this story came together was that I was asked to write it. The person who gave me the idea to come up with Miguel in the first place wanted me to pair the original character with Robin. Personally, I like her and the idea interested me. I have a few ideas for Miguel's interactions with her and you'll see when the time comes._

* * *

Kuro's eyes narrowed dangerously ''I was wondering what took so long...and I find you being held back by children. Truly pitiful...Has my crew grown that weak?''

''C-captain...'' Jango stammered.

''We're not weak!'' Buchi, one of the remnants who had yet to be hypnotized, cried. ''You've got some nerve talking like that!''

''Yeah, we're the ones doing all the work!'' A pirate cried.

''It's not that easy!'' Jango tried to say. ''One of them is Roronoa Zoro, I don't know who they are but the Strawhat kid and the other swordsman are tough too.''

''Yeah, you don't get to talk, were just sitting around!'' A third one spoke. ''We'll show you weak!''

With that, a number of the remnants charged, even as Jango cried for them to stop. And for good reason as Kuro struck, practically vanishing then. When he reappeared, he was behind the pirates, now wearing his bladed gloves for all to see.

''What the...?''

''...You were right, you have shown me weak.'' Kuro stated coldly. ''Pathetic. Now I'll give you one last chance, you have 5 minutes to kill these brats. If you can't, I'll kill you. Understood?''

Jango had once again used this time to act and motivate the crew. ''It's okay, we can do it in five minutes! Let's go!''

''R-right!'' The pirates who had now been left terrified were glad to follow his call. The group that had tried attacking Kuro all switched targets to the nearest target: Zoro.

The swordsman appeared unfazed ''...Idiots. Three Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!''

Kuro's eyes narrowed while Jango recoiled upon seeing the group fall apart as a result. The butler watched as the Black Cats continued to fight, his anger grew as he noted how they were thwarted at every turn. Even the ones who tried to get to Nami and Usopp fared no better, with the two also able to fend for themselves.

''T-this is really bad...'' Jango stuttered, knowing from experience that the man would be looking for retribution from everyone for this.

''...Actually, since I'm going to take matters into my own hands why don't I start with you, Usopp?'' Kuro stated, looking at the sniper, who stiffened. ''I merely let you punch me earlier but now even the mention of this is rather irritating. I'm going to pay you back...''

Usopp hurried to avoid Kuro's attack without much thought as the pirate tried to slash at him. This however led to another problem, leaving Nami vulnerable, something Kuro quickly picked up on.

''No matter, I planned to kill everyone here anyway...'' He mused, lashing out at the girl, who stifled a scream in shock.

Both were left very much surprised when Nami and Usopp were suddenly lifted off the ground by a violet aura, bringing them away from the man. Nami blinked twice, recognizing the Telekinesis spell before she spared Miguel a grateful look.

''H-how...'' Jango started.

Kuro's expression darkened ''More and more obstacles...but it won't deter me.'' As he attacked again, he was met with a flying leg that hit his arm.

''You're fighting me now!'' Luffy declared.

''Hmph, suit yourself.'' The two attacked, but neither hit their mark.

''Klahadore!'' Both started at the familiar voice, looking up in surprise to find Kaya standing on the hill, with a pistol at the ready.

''Kaya, why are you here?!'' Usopp demanded.

''Usopp-san, I know the truth now...I'm so sorry I didn't believe you...'' The girl remembered how she found her second butler, Merry injured this morning, learning that Kuro had behind it.

''Who cares about that? Get out of here! You're their target!''

She felt even worse upon seeing how her friend was still determined to defend her and the village even after their horrid treatment yesterday. ''I can't...I can't simply just sit back after all this. Klahadore, please...if you want my fortune, you can have it. Just leave, don't hurt anyone!''

''How kind, Lady Kaya...but it's not that simple.'' Kuro returned. ''Your fortune wouldn't get me what I desire most after all.''

''W-what's that?'' She couldn't help but ask.

''Tranquility.'' He replied simply. ''That plan was a last resort but it led to something I never expected...peace. I felt so peaceful after settling down here. I don't want any anything to ruin that, this plan is my solution. That's why it will continue. The pirates will attack and I'll have you write a will to leave me your fortune...''

''N-no...you're not Klahadore...'' Kaya trembled, seeing her caretaker for who he really was. She didn't want to believe it but he was just a cruel and merciless man. She leveled her pistol at him. ''...leave this island!''

''Hey, stop!'' Nami called. She was suddenly reminded of meeting Usopp yesterday. While Luffy had made a joke out of Usopp threatening them, Kuro was bound to take it seriously. Kaya was in great danger.

''Yeah, just get out of here!'' Usopp cried, running up to her.

Unlike them, Kuro was surprisingly calm. He reflected on the times they shared for the last three years, musing on how Kaya grew up. She was depressed due to her parents' death but he would tend to her and try to cheer her up. While that seemed odd at first, the effect on Kaya made it clear just what he wanted here. Kuro was pointedly bringing this up to play on her emotions. And it was working.

''I've endured all those times, the humiliation of serving you...just so I can kill you.'' Kuro said coldly, throwing the gun aside. He appeared unfazed as he watched Usopp shield Kaya. ''Fool, you think you can make a difference?''

He proceeded to knee the sniper in the gut before slashing at his arm, leaving him to fall to his knees with a cry.

''Usopp-san!'' Kaya screamed.

Luffy growled ''Gum Gum Pistol!''

Kuro barely got around to avoiding the oncoming fist, but it gave Luffy enough time to get in between and the pirate's targets. He punched the pirate again, this time nailing a hit, making Kuro fall.

''I told you, you're fighting me! Leave them alone!''

''So you want to die so badly?'' Kuro hissed.

* * *

Then, one of the last things anyone expected happened.

''The Usopp Pirates have arrived!''

Ninjin, Piiman and Tamanegi ran out of the bushes and faced Kuro, attacking the pirate with a bat, a hammer and a frying pan. The three had followed Kaya upon noticing her on her own this morning and they were glad they did.

''What the-they're here too?!'' Zoro exclaimed.

''Oh no...stop that, you guys!'' Usopp shouted.

''You have to leave!'' Miguel called.

''Yes, please get out of here!'' Kaya cried.

But the kids paid them no mind and went on beating Kuro. While the pirates were wary of the captain's wrath, everyone else was worried for the trio's safety.

''We can't...just not do anything...'' Piiman said after they stopped attacking, out of breath.

''Yeah, Captain's been fighting this whole time...'' Tamanegi added.

''Why didn't you tell us?'' Ninjin demanded.

''That doesn't matter, just go!'' Usopp retorted.

''No!'' The three retorted before Tamanegi added.

''We'll fight too! Our crew's honor demands it!''

Zoro's eyes widened upon seeing Kuro stand ''Oi, watch out!''

The kids turned around at the warning only to be alarmed as they caught on. They froze in fear as Kuro stared them down, preparing to attack them and Usopp, who was already trying to get over and help them...

Miguel leveled his sword in their direction ''Frost Shield!'' A pale blue spell circle flashed before the trio was surrounded in a dome of ice that easily repelled Kuro's claws.

''All right!'' Luffy grinned while Kaya let out a sigh of relief.

''W-whoa...'' Ninjin poked the ice dome. ''...how did he do that?''

''Worry about that later, get away from there!'' Nami cried.

Kuro steadied himself ''...So you're just going to keep getting in the way...''

''You bet!'' Luffy retorted.

''It took you long enough to notice.'' Zoro drawled.

''Jango, proceed with the plan. I'll handle them.'' Kuro commanded.

The man readied his bladed pendulums ''Yes sir.''

Seeing him head towards Kaya, Usopp acted ''Usopp's Pirates! I'll give you our most important mission yet, protect Kaya! Remember this: our crew wasn't merely formed because of our love for adventure, we also work hard to protect the people we treasure. That's why I know you can do it!''

''...That was some speech.'' Miguel remarked with a small smile.

''You said it.'' Zoro smirked. ''Not everyone can make running away sound brave.''

As expected, Usopp's crew was more than up for this.

''Understood, Captain!'' They proceeded to guide Kaya away from the battlefield and Jango went after them.

''What a waste...'' Kuro scoffed. ''...that girl's just a weakling, she'll only slow the brats down. Jango will finish them all off.''

''You bastard...don't you care about her at all?! You lived with her all this time!'' Usopp snapped.

''Not in the slightest.'' He replied smoothly. ''She's just a pawn, just like everyone in that village!''

''I won't let you hurt them!'' Usopp shouted back.

Luffy grinned, liking how the teen had not lost resolve all along ''Just leave him to me...''

Usopp looked back at the forest, determined to help Kaya and the kids. Zoro glanced at him before speaking up ''Oi, Luffy! You mind if I head out to find them? I'll go with Usopp just in case.''

''Yeah, that's a great idea!'' Luffy returned brightly.

He turned to Miguel ''...Look out for them, all right?'' The wizard nodded in return. ''You know the way in there, just point me in the right direction.'' Zoro told Usopp.

''Got it!''

''What're you all doing?'' Kuro demanded of the still conscious Black Cats. ''Make yourselves useful and fight! Don't let them leave!''

Since the remnants were too frightened to do anything else, they complied with the order and made to attack Zoro and Usopp.

''Look out!'' Nami called.

Miguel's eyes narrowed ''Meteor.'' His body was surrounded in a golden aura and he flew to meet to obstruct the pirates' path, re-equipping his wind sword in the process.

''Get going, I'll make sure no one interferes with you.'' He told the two.

''Right!'' Usopp nodded and they left.

''How is he doing this stuff?! I thought he had some devil fruit too but there's no way...'' A pirate uttered in shock.

''He's a wizard, you idiot.'' Kuro stated. ''How strange, to see someone like him and a a devil fruit user around these parts...''

''C-come on, we've gotta fight!'' Another pirate cried before they charged.

Miguel met them head on, with his speed enhanced greatly by Meteor, he easily repelled the first strikes. One pirate tried to stab him and another aimed for a punch but he merely flew out of the way, leaving them to hit each other. Hearing a pirate running behind him, Miguel sidestepped his oncoming strike and hit back with his sword's sheath, stunning the pirate before knocking him out. He proceeded to slash another pirate on the side to knock him out of the fight and used his wind sword to throw two more at the wall.

''Gale Maw!'' A bright green spell circle flashed into existence, conjuring fierce biting winds that threw the pirates back and caused plenty of damage.

Kuro snarled ''You really are hopeless...''

''Way to go, Miguel!'' Luffy cheered, always happy to see his friends succeed. ''Now, Gum Gum Spear!''

Kuro dodged the attack and tried to slash his leg but Luffy knew better than to wait and he quickly pulled it back. ''Why are outsiders even involved in this? None of it concerns you.''

''There's someone here who I don't want to see die.'' Luffy answered readily.

''I can't just stand back and ignore something like this.'' Miguel stated. ''Besides, we saw how far Usopp's willing to go and it's only natural to help him. Right, Luffy?''

''Yup!''

Kuro scoffed ''You're willing to risk your lives for such ridiculous reasons?''

''I'm not afraid of death. I'm the one who's going to be the next Pirate King!'' Luffy declared.

The butler attacked again and Luffy dodged, he tried to stop him with a Gum Gum Whip but Kuro was just too fast for that to work, leaving him vulnerable for a slash that hit his arm.

The Black Cats were beginning to feel relief, some even cheering for Kuro.

''STOP!'' The man snapped, leaving them stunned. ''When are you going to understand?! I'm doing all this to get rid of the name Kuro of a Thousand Plans! I'm tired of all it brought me...being chased by marines, dealing with you imbeciles...I've had it! I finally made the world think I was dead and that's why my plan will work! Instead of blabbering on, do something useful and get rid of that wizard!''

He tried to attack again but Luffy got out of the way, resulting in his claw getting stuck in a rock.

''...If you're that scared of your fame than you don't deserve to be a pirate!'' Luffy punctuated the statement by hurling the rock at Kuro, sending him flying and breaking one of his cat claws.

The pirates were in shock at the sight, though they still tried to believe in Kuro. Considering his words, one called out ''Go, Kura-san, you can win! Kill him!''

''Kura-san? Oh yeah, we can't call him by name...'' A pirate noted. ''...works for me, go Captain Kura-san!''

The increased cheers only earned them another dark look, much more murderous this time. ''Be silent! I'm going to finish you all off later!''

''What?'' The pirates were stunned.

''Didn't you hear me before? No one is supposed to know I'm alive, that's why I intend to kill everyone who knows about me. Including you imbeciles and Jango once he takes care of the girl.''

''B-but...''

''You meant for us to die all along?''

''These guys are dumb.'' Luffy remarked.

''What're you talking about? This is how a crew should be. They can't do anything without a leader and even then, it'd be lucky if they don't mess everything up. They're mere pawns in my schemes, their lives are in my hands and they should die for me if the need arises.'' Kuro explained.

''...You're a failure of a captain.'' Miguel stated coolly, disgusted with the man.

Luffy didn't say anything but the look on his face proved that he completely agreed with that statement.

Kuro growled ''What was that?! This is a pirate's fate, don't you lecture me, you damn brats!''

''It doesn't matter how many men you have, you'll never compare to Usopp.'' Luffy declared.

''You think I lose to that pretend pirate?'' Kuro clarified.

''That's right!''

''You can't match up to him.'' Miguel remarked. ''Usopp's got way more heart than you ever would. Even while he was scared, he fought and refused to back down.''

''Yeah, it just proves he's got things that make him better. Like composure.'' Luffy said firmly.

''What?'' Kuro stopped, now confused by the words. Luffy punched him into the ground...

''You don't know the real meaning of being a pirate!''

One of the few conscious Black Cats looked at Miguel, who had backed away after he defeated them. ''W-why aren't you fighting? You're just going to watch?''

''From what I'm standing, the fight's over. Besides...Luffy doesn't need help.''

Kuro got up, more riled after hearing that ''Why you...you think I don't know what it means to be a pirate?! Stop underestimating me! I'll show you power! The power of someone who's been to hell and back.''

He took an odd stance, his head was lowered and his body swayed back and forth. For some reason, this terrified his crew.

''W-wait, that's...!''

''N-no, he wouldn't...''

''He...he said he'd kill us all...that's definitely it...''

Luffy and Miguel were bewildered, just what was going on?

''Out of the Bag Attack!'' Kuro disappeared. Things suddenly became very quiet, only broken by a sudden scream.

It brought attention to a pirate as he fell, a massive gash on his chest which killed him.

Chaos broke out as all the Black Cats tried to get away but it was useless, a number of them died just like that pirate, to Luffy and Miguel's shock. Some of the pirates tried to plead with the butler to stop but Kuro was merciless, taking down everyone and everything in his way.

Luffy ground his teeth in anger, cursing their enemy ''WHAT DO YOU TAKE YOUR CREW FOR?!''

Miguel was painfully reminded of some of the battles and suffering he had dealt with in Elysia with all the deaths surrounding them. He clenched his fists as he shook in barely suppressed rage and hissed. ''...He really is trash...''

A moment later, Luffy's side was ripped up but the teen ignored this and grabbed Kuro's arm, throwing him down. ''Got you!''

''Look what you did! My men are half dead, it'd be more humane to put them down...'' Kuro trailed off, noting the glares coming at him. ''...you have something to say?!''

''Yeah...I'll never become like you!'' Luffy declared.

''Oh? Well, you can't anyway.'' The man said dismissively. ''You don't have the skill. I'll finish you off before killing that wizard and then all of your friends will be next! Out of the Bag Attack!''

Luffy's first two attempts to stop him failed but the third one successfully grabbed Kuro. He trapped him by wrapping his limbs around the man, ignoring his demands to let go.

''I'll end this now! Your plans are screwed!'' Luffy reared back his head, his neck stretching backwards.

''THAT CAN'T BE!'' Kuro shouted.

''Gomu Gomu Kane!'' Luffy's head slammed into Kuro's at great speed, sending the man flying backwards and leaving him knocked out.

''He won?!''

''Captain lost?!''

The pirates were all silenced when Luffy glared at them ''I'd never to a coward who ran from the sea. Get lost, all of you!''

They were all too happy to obey the command, with some picking Kuro up and hurrying away.

Luffy sat down with a sigh, looking up slightly as Miguel walked over. The young man bent on a knee and began healing him ''...You did great.''

''This is all wrong...I hate that guy. Pirates shouldn't be like this.'' Luffy stated.

''Mm, sad to say some of them are that way. I'm glad you'd never turn out like that Kuro.'' Miguel admitted.

''That feels nice...'' Luffy mused, glancing at the healing light. ''...I'm tired.''

''Makes sense...''

''No kidding...'' Nami walked over, holding two bags. Miguel had seen her sneak into the Black Cats' ship earlier and knew that she been taking their treasure. ''...why did you get so mad though, Luffy?''

''That guy's attitude is horrible...pirates shouldn't treat their nakama like that.''

''Pirates aren't as noble as you think they are. That's pretty normal for them.'' Nami stated.

Miguel grimaced as he thought of the chaos and death from the first Out of the Bag Attack. ''...That didn't have anything to do with him being a pirate, Nami. It's just Kuro's nature. People can be cruel and heartless no matter who they are or what they do.''

Nami couldn't respond, finding that to be a good point. Especially considering that he of all people would know considering what happened in Elysia.

Luffy broke the atmosphere with a simple statement ''I'm hungry.''

Nami spared him an annoyed look but Miguel smiled ''Well, I'd say food is the least thing you deserve after that. How about we find the others and then go and look into that?''

''Okay!'' Luffy cheered and led them into the forest.

* * *

The people of Syrup Village were left to a surprise early in the morning. Usually, Usopp and his crew would wake everyone up by crying that pirates were coming but there was no sign of any of them today...

The quartet were in the forest, having been brought over Usopp to talk.

''You guys were really great today!'' The teen praised, leaving them bashful.

''N-Nah, Captain...nothing like you...''

''No, I mean it!'' He cut Piiman off. ''You fought against the odds to stop the pirates, remember keep it a secret.'' The three nodded and he went on. ''I want you guys to be the first to know, I'm heading off to the sea.''

''What?'' Piiman blinked.

''I thought you loved the village, Captain!'' Tamanegi exclaimed. ''What about us?''

''We don't want you to leave! You can't!'' Ninjin cried.

''I'm going to pursue my dream. We've had wonderful adventures ever since we formed the crew...'' The four thought back to the times they spent together during the last five years.

''Captain, don't! Please!'' Ninjin exclaimed.

''...It's time we all follow our dreams. What are yours?'' Usopp questioned.

''To be the owner of a bar!'' Ninjin replied.

''I want to be a writer!'' Tamanegi revealed.

''And I want to be a carpenter!'' Piiman admitted.

''Right. Then you have to follow those goals with all your hearts. Be determined and never give up!''

The boys nodded, now resigned to their eventual separation. As much as they wanted Usopp here, nothing they would say would deter him.

His next statement only proved that conclusion to be completely true.

''The Usopp Pirates are disbanded!''

* * *

As agreed, the group of four went back to the restaurant. Being understandably hungry after the battle, Luffy was eating plenty more than usual. To phrase it nicely, his table manners left much to be desired.

Nami tried her best to look away ''Can you eat not like that?''

''You know, looking at this makes me wonder if him having a rubber body also means a rubber stomach.'' Zoro mused.

Miguel looked curious ''Hey yeah, maybe...actually, that would explain a lot...'' Zoro nodded back.

It was then that they were approached by a surprise visitor: Kaya.

''I've been looking for you.'' She smiled.

''Are you sure you're okay to be up and about like this? You've had some morning.'' Nami remarked.

Kaya nodded ''My illness happened because of my depression over my parents' death but Usopp-san tried so hard to cheer me up. I feel so much better. I have a present for you.''

* * *

And what a present it was.

Kaya led them to the shore, revealing a caravel that was docked there. It was a ship with a white sail and a smaller one behind it. It had a sheep's head at the front and white guards at the deck.

''Wow!''

The four stared at the ship in wonder before Luffy asked the question they had in mind ''Can we really take it?''

''Of course! This is my way to thank for everything.'' Kaya beamed. ''We've prepared food and supplies you'll need in your travels.''

''Great, that's a big help!'' Luffy grinned.

Miguel nodded ''Thanks, that's really thoughtful of you.''

Merry cleared his throat ''I designed the ship, it should sail well. The frame and triple mast are part of a stern centered system. I call it the Going Merry!''

''Just tell us how to operate it.'' Nami added, gesturing to herself and Miguel. She had already seen how the wizard handled navigation and he was good at it, Luffy was a devil fruit user and Zoro's sense of direction was none-existent so it was left to them.

''Well then...'' Merry blinked. ''...erm, what is that?''

'That' turned out to be a large yellow ball coming in their direction. Closer inspection revealed it was actually Usopp, who was carrying the yellow ball, which was apparently his bag.

''...Why on earth does he think he can carry something like that?'' Merry wondered. The sniper stumbled suddenly and began to roll down.

''Beats me but we better do something, he's going to hit the ship.'' Zoro stated before he and Luffy held out their feet, leaving Usopp's face to collide with them moments later.

Nami sweatdropped ''Was that necessary?''

Miguel helped the teen up and healed his face. ''Whoa, much better...thanks!''

''So you're really leaving, Usopp-san.'' Kaya stated.

''Yeah, my mind's made up, Kaya. Don't try to stop me.''

''...I had a feeling you might leave sometime.'' She admitted.

''Hey, don't feel sad. I'll have loads of stories to tell you the next time I come around!''

Kaya smiled ''I look forward to it!''

Usopp grinned back and looked at his four new friends. ''You guys take care too! I'm sure we'll meet again someday!''

Luffy looked confused ''Why?''

''Oh, come on! We're all going to be sailing the seas, it could happen!''

Miguel gave a bemused look ''I think you're missing the point, Usopp.''

''?''

''Yeah, we're nakama. We want you to come with us!'' Luffy stated.

''You heard him, now get moving.'' Zoro added with a smirk.

Usopp couldn't help grinning once he understood. ''Yeah! I'm the Captain!''

''No way, I'm captain!'' Luffy said at once but the rest just laughed and soon the Going Merry set sail for the first time.

Miguel smiled to himself, thinking back to a letter he had sent a few days ago. It would help determine a choice he needed to make, preferably soon. _'I never even considered becoming a pirate before...'_ He glanced at the others. _'...but if it's with them, I think I won't regret it.'_

* * *

 _And let's stop here._

 _I hope this was good. So...just curious here, what do you think of Miguel?_

 _I'll give a little bit of info, Luffy's actually the second pirate Miguel got to know. The first one is a canon character but he comes in later down the line. It's been years since they met so Miguel doesn't remember him well but they were fairly close._

 _I'll be throwing in little tip offs about him fitting with the story and I think many of you would be able to recognize him soon._


	6. Chapter 6

_Well, I finished my plans for this arc so here we go with a new chapter. I hope you like it._

* * *

The group of five watched curiously as Miguel set up what he told them was the warp circle to send his findings to Elysia. After drawing the magic circle, he set up two dark crystals at the top and bottom of the circle before placing the treasure he had come to collect and left in his personal dimension.

Once he injected a bit of his magic into the array, the circle lit up and the treasure all vanished in a flash of dark light.

''Whoa...'' Usopp looked amazed. ''...how does this work?''

''It's kind of hard to explain. We have to be very careful with those or things could get very bad.'' Miguel stated.

The circle glowed for a moment before releasing a burst of magic. It faded away, revealing a few items, like more of the dark crystals, along with a letter. Miguel picked it up, knowing it was the response he had been waiting for.

''So you carry all that treasure you picked up in this personal dimension?'' Nami asked, curious.

Miguel nodded ''Like this.'' He held up one of his swords, a small spell circle before he pushed it a little, making it fade from view. ''It's basically a special space linked to the user. I keep my swords and other things there too. Simple but pretty handy.''

''It sure sounds that way...''

''So he's been at this for months?'' Usopp clarified.

Zoro nodded ''Apparently, they're putting their home back together after the war almost destroyed it. They've got it down to a system, Miguel said something about how he the people behind the system set up the link between them every two weeks. He's worked hard to make sure they get the best of his findings.''

''They really had it rough, huh...?''

Nami noticed how Miguel's attention had been on the letter, which he finished with a growing smile. ''Hey, good news?''

''Mmhm.'' He looked up at them. ''Well Luffy, I can give you an answer now. Looks like I'll be joining the crew.''

''All right!'' The teen cheered while the other three perk up, also pleasantly surprised.

''I keep forgetting he was just traveling along...'' Usopp admitted.

''Heh, never mind the details. Far as we're concerned, you're practically one of us. This is just making it clear and official.'' Zoro stated. It might have happened just by chance but the swordsman thought Miguel fit well in their little group.

''Yeah!'' Luffy agreed, Miguel smiled in return.

''So what brought this all of a sudden anyway? The letter?'' Nami wondered.

Miguel nodded ''I never did consider becoming a pirate before so what Luffy said really threw me for a loop. I like you guys and traveling so far has been fun...it's just that I was worried joining the crew could have complicated things and caused trouble.''

''How come?'' Usopp inquired.

''It's a long story...the reason has to do with my family. I just wanted to be sure my decision won't affect them badly.''

''That makes sense...''

''Hey, wait!'' Luffy cut in. ''You said you wanted to travel before...would they make you give it all up because of this trouble? That's unfair!''

Miguel shook his head ''The exact opposite, actually. They were the first to tell me to go for it...I just can't help being feeling worried though. It's...'' He was distracted upon noticing the colorful paper in Luffy's hand. ''...what is that?''

''Oh!'' Luffy perked up, holding up the paper. ''I finished making our flag!''

The reactions from that statement were not as enthusiastic. Why? Simple, Luffy was a terrible artist.

''That's...our flag?'' Zoro questioned, grimacing at the sight of the poorly drawn skull and crossbones with their captain's hat on.

''Great, right?'' Luffy beamed.

''...A pirate flag is supposed to symbolize death and terror.'' Zoro pointed out.

''I'm feeling terror, but it's the terror of his talent.'' Nami sighed, noting how Miguel was trying not to laugh. ''...At least one of us is enjoying this...''

''Luffy, using that would be a bad idea.'' He tried to say gently.

''Ehh?'' Luffy pouted. ''Why?''

''What Miguel's too kind to say is that this piece of work will make us a laughingstock.'' Usopp stated bluntly. ''Just leave it to me. I've been a painter for 50 years!''

Luffy looked at him in awe ''Wow, really?''

''Yeah, it is surprising, huh? You sure don't look your age then,'' Miguel remarked.

''I know, right?'' Nami grinned. ''He's probably a granddad or something now.''

''...Are you guys going to keep doing this?'' He grumbled.

Zoro was snickering at the exchange ''Can you blame them? You practically set yourself up.''

''Okay, jokes aside now. Show us what you have in mind, Usopp.'' Miguel crossed his arms.

The sniper perked ''Sure!''

In minutes, Miguel would come to regret his wording. Why? Well...

''Who told you to make your own mark?'' Luffy demanded irritably.

That was effectively what he'd done. There was no denying that Usopp was good...it was just that he replicated the mark of the Usopp Pirates. A skull wearing a bandana with a slingshot near one of the bones.

Usopp rubbed the back of his head where Zoro hit him a moment ago ''Ow...learn to take a joke, guys.''

''You're really pushing it here.'' Miguel stated. ''Can you take this seriously or not?''

''Okay, okay...''

The end result was basically like Luffy's but it looked far better.

''This is much better.'' Zoro remarked while Miguel nodded, smiling.

''It's really nice!'' Nami exclaimed.

''It'll be our flag then!'' Luffy declared, grinning before telling Usopp to paint it on the sails.

* * *

Luffy decided to try practicing shooting with the cannons, but he could never seem to hit the mark. Usopp came over, curious with all the ruckus he was making and he easily guessed what was going on by looking at the state of things.

''Step aside, amateur. Let a pro show you to do this.'' Usopp prepared the cannon before aiming towards Luffy's target, a rock in the distance.

Luffy's eyes widened as the cannon ball hit the mark. ''Hey, you did it!''

''I did...? Yeah! I told you I'm a pro!'' The teen grinned cockily. ''See? You'd be better off letting me take over as Captain.''

''No way!''

Nami, who had been discussing their course of action with Miguel, spared the two an unimpressed look. ''Seems like the kids are having fun.''

Miguel seemed amused ''Let's just leave them to it.''

''Nice to see someone this easy going...you know, Usopp seems really interested in becoming captain.'' She remarked. ''Aren't you?''

''Not in the slightest.'' Miguel replied without hesitation. ''I really can't imagine myself in that station at all. I'm wondering if Usopp even realizes what he's asking for.''

''That's actually a good point...'' Nami mused. Both agreed that being a captain was quite a responsibility and it wasn't just something anyone would do on a whim. ''...though you're not really fair on yourself either. I can't see you being that bad at it, you're pretty responsible. You're the only one out of them who actually knows how to sail and navigate and you actually tried to prepare for traveling.''

''Thanks but I've got nothing on you. Besides, we learned pretty early on that there was no such thing as being over-prepared.''

''Now that I can agree to...'' Nami looked back at the map in her hands. ''...so back to what we were saying, we've got some decent supplies here so I think we'll be good for a while. It's probably best to stop if we find a place that could help. Any ideas?''

''Well...I heard that some people stop at Logue Town before heading to the Grand Line.'' Miguel recalled. ''There's actually something that we could use to travel there, it's pretty important but I haven't had luck much finding it...wish I remembered to ask my friends back home if they could find one...''

''You could try that next time.'' Nami pointed out. ''So what is that thing anyway?''

He made to respond but then the two were cut off by a loud cry they recognized as Usopp's. This made them approach him and Luffy, finding them facing a man with dark hair and sunglasses, who was brandishing a sword.

''Oi, don't damage the ship!''

''Shut up! I'll make you bastards pay!''

''Hey, what did you guys do?'' Nami demanded.

''Nothing!'' Usopp cried. ''He just showed up and started cursing at us out of the blue!''

''Yeah, right!'' The man snarled. ''You're the ones who attacked my partner!''

''What?''

''We didn't attack anybody!'' Usopp retorted.

''My partner was hurt because of your cannon ball!''

At this, he and Luffy exchanged alarmed looks, suddenly understanding that the man must have been near their target.

''I won't let you get away!'' The man cried, raising his sword again.

''Is that Johnny?'' Everyone turned to the newly arrived Zoro then.

The man almost balked ''Zoro-aniki?! Why're you with those pirates?''

''Long story. Where's Yosaku? You're usually together.''

Johnny lowered ''He...he's...''

Miguel looked between the two ''...Why don't you bring your friend over? I think we can find a way to help him.''

* * *

Usopp frowned as he stared at Yosaku, listening to Johnny explain how he wouldn't wake up and his old wounds kept reopening. As bad luck would have it, the two had been resting on that rock when the cannon ball struck.

''We're sorry!'' He and Luffy cried.

''What's the point?! As if things weren't already bad enough...I don't know what to do!'' Johnny wailed.

''Miguel, you patched me up before, can't you help him?'' Usopp wondered.

''I'm not sure. My healing magic only works on wounds and injuries...It looks more like he's sick.'' The wizard observed, having just finished examining Yosaku.

The sniper started ''You think so? This doesn't look like anything I've ever heard of.''

''Me neither.'' Zoro added.

''Are you a doctor?'' Johnny asked, curious.

''No, but I've had someone with experience teaching me while I learned about healing...This seems familiar...'' Miguel stopped to think.

''Thankfully, someone here has the right idea.'' Nami spoke up, having also been watching closely. ''I think I figured it out. Luffy, we've got some limes in storage. Can you bring a few?''

''Okay!''

He left and came back quickly, Miguel followed him. When they came back, Nami cut one open and opened Yosaku's mouth before squeezing some drops from it and repeated the process a few times.

''What're you doing?'' Zoro asked.

''He's got scurvy.'' She informed.

It fell into place for Miguel then ''So that's why...limes would really help. It's more common with sailors but scurvy hits when people don't get enough vitamins.''

''Exactly.'' Nami stepped back once she finished with two limes.

''You figured it all out just like that? You're both amazing!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''It's common knowledge!'' Nami returned. ''Especially for people out on the sea, you guys need to take this journey seriously!''

Yosaku woke up a little while later and sat up with a grin ''I feel so much better...''

''That's great!'' Johnny cheered and they began dancing together.

''Whoa, he really is a lot better...'' Usopp blinked.

''All right!'' Luffy smiled but Nami wasn't convinced.

Which was quickly proven to be for good reason as Yosaku collapsed moments later, leaving everyone besides her and Miguel to freak out.

''Yosaku!'' Johnny cried.

''Oi, what happened?!'' Zoro yelped.

''Oh, relax.'' Nami rolled her eyes while Miguel sighed. ''He was just being stupid. Nobody recovers that fast.''

* * *

After thanking them, Johnny went to tend to Yosaku while the crew got together to talk.

''Let this be a lesson to you all.'' Nami stated. ''We can't take this journey lightly.''

''Yeah, which means we need to fill an important position soon.'' Usopp remarked.

''I know!'' The two looked at Luffy. ''We need a musician!''

They almost fell over at this, Miguel sweat dropped while Zoro rolled his eyes ''I should've known...we were wrong for assuming he'd say something smart.''

''I'll say!'' Nami slapped the teen's head. ''We meant a cook, you idiot. What does a musician have to do with anything?''

''Pirates need to sing!'' was his response.

''Who cares about that now?''

''Luffy, we need someone who knows how to make the best of our supplies.'' Usopp offered. ''Nami and Miguel are the only ones who have any experience cooking. Remember?''

''And it's not like we're experts either.'' The wizard added.

Zoro recalled how Nami offered to make them breakfast this morning. Trouble was, that was only going to happen if they paid her a lot upfront. Thankfully, Miguel had some idea what to do and he had been able to help them out of that. ''We also need to make sure that _someone_ wouldn't bleed us dry.''

Nami gave an innocent smile that fooled no one ''A girl's got to make a living too, you know?''

''Well...'' Zoro blinked as a thought occurred to him. ''...Wait a minute, we still have food, right?'' At the questioning looks this earned, he explained. ''I just remembered that Luffy flat out cleaned us out pretty quickly before. He even tried to take your food, remember, Nami?''

Nami blinked, suddenly understanding what he was getting at. ''Oh, that. Well, no need to worry. Miguel blocked the storage off. He cast some shield about it that won't let anyone in unless he says so.''

''Don't remind me. I just wanted to eat but I couldn't get through!'' Luffy complained.

''Luffy, we need to be careful about that food. There's no telling when we'll run out and we might not always be able to find supplies.'' Miguel stated.

''Yeah, don't be selfish! It's for all of us.'' Usopp added.

Zoro's eye twitched ''And here I was thinking he could actually learn some restraint. Shows what I know, right?''

''I highly doubt he knows what that means. Anyway...so we've agreed, we'll try finding a cook?'' Nami received positive replies.

''We'll try to fill all the positions we can, Luffy. We just need to make priorities.'' Miguel told the captain.

''Yeah...'' Luffy perked up at the thought. ''...This is good too. We can have loads of yummy food with a cook!''

Johnny came around then ''Hey, I heard you guys talking. I know a place where you can find a cook.''

''Really?''

''Yup, it's a sea-restaurant not far from the Grand Line. I heard the cooks are as tough as nails, really skilled too.'' Johnny recalled. ''There's even talk of a certain swordsman going there.'' He looked at Zoro as he continued. ''A man with a huge black sword and golden eyes. He's been seen there a bunch of times. It's him, Zoro-aniki, no doubt.''

Zoro tensed, very much alert at the news. Miguel looked surprised ''Wait, as in...he comes around these parts?''

''Yeah-oh, Miguel-aniki, you're a swordsman too so you definitely heard of him, huh?'' Johnny received a nod. ''He's Zoro-aniki's goal. What do you say, Luffy-aniki?''

''Take us there!'' The teen returned readily.

''You got it.'' Johnny smiled.

* * *

''Wait, they were talking about magic before...'' Johnny tilted his head. ''...so even while knowing healing magic, Miguel-aniki had to study a whole bunch to get it down in the first place?''

''Pretty much.'' Zoro confirmed. ''The woman who taught him that magic learned about medicine from a doctor herself. It sounded like she applied the same method with him. Way I see it, that makes sense. Come on, they can't just go waving a hand and expect everything to turn out okay. Nothing in the world is that convenient, even magic.''

''Huh, I never thought of it like that, you're right...'' Johnny was distracted when he saw a ship not too far away. ''...oh, that's the Baratie, Zoro-aniki!''

Zoro observed the ship curiously, it was fairly large. It had a generally oval shape with a fish as the figure head and a small array of cannons on the sides. Luffy ran up to him, grinning at the sight.

''It looks cool!''

''It does seem nice...'' Nami suddenly frowned, confusing the two.

Zoro quirked a brow ''What's wrong?'' She pointed to the ship's left, bringing their attention to another vessel. ''That's a marine ship...''

''Oh great, what's that here for?'' Usopp grimaced, figuring it couldn't have been them since they haven't done a thing yet.

A man in a striped suit was standing on deck, turning in their direction once he noticed the Merry Go.

''I'm Lieutenant Fullbody. Which of you is that ship's captain?''

''That's me!'' Luffy replied.

''Actually it's this great Captain Usopp!'' Usopp declared, missing Luffy's irritated look. ''I'm the one who made our jolly roger!''

''Well...'' Fullbody quirked a brow, spotting Johnny and Yosaku, who were trying to make themselves small. ''...ah, I remember you two. The small time bounty hunters...so you actually went and got yourselves captured?'' He barked out a laugh. ''I always knew you two were pathetic.''

''What did you say?!'' Yosaku glared at him.

''We'll show you what we can do!'' Johnny declared before they attacked him. But it only wound up in them getting battered.

That was when Nami noticed some papers on the floor where Johnny was. A closer look revealed them to be wanted posters. One in particular caught her attention, making her grip it tightly.

Miguel noticed her suddenly different stance but before he could look into it further, Fullbody went on ''Now I'll get rid of this eyesore of a ship! Fire the cannons!''

He froze up when Miguel stopped the oncoming cannonballs with gravity magic but quickly had his subordinates fire more.

''I'll take care of this one!'' Luffy jumped and repelled the cannon ball closest to Merry. Unfortunately, it wound up ricocheting into the restaurant's ceiling.

''What the...?'' Yosaku's jaw dropped.

''Oh great...'' Usopp groaned, face-palming. ''...Miguel, couldn't you have stopped that one?''

''Sorry but no, I couldn't see where it flew...''

Zoro's eye twitched, concluding that this could have easily been handled this without their captain's interference. ''He just keeps causing trouble...''

A group of men dressed in chef outfits came out the restaurant ''There he is!'' Before they quite knew it, the group trapped Luffy and dragged him inside...

* * *

A little while later...

''He wants Luffy to work for a year to pay for the damage?!'' Usopp exclaimed.

Carne, one of the cooks from the restaurant had come out to fill the group in on what transpired. The owner of the Baratie, Chef Zeff, had decided that Luffy needed to pay off the damage he caused. While they kept arguing, Zeff eventually had one of the cooks drag him away to get started.

''Boss says it's because of the damage he caused.'' Carne returned. ''They were arguing when I left but I don't think they got anywhere. I think they're getting the kid outfitted now.''

''Oh, great...'' Nami sighed.

Usopp groaned ''Now what?''

Miguel thought it over ''...Say, can I talk to your boss?''

Carne gave him a curious look ''Sure, come on.''

* * *

Carne led him through the back door of the restaurant before telling him to wait there. A few moments later, a man with blond hair in a chef uniform with a long white toque and a peg leg came.

''So you're another of that kid's companions? Carne says you wanted to talk.''

Miguel nodded ''We heard how you guys fought over the damage expense so...'' He dug in his coat's pocket for a moment before holding up an emerald in the shape of a sphere. ''...I don't know how much it would cost but I figured this might help.''

Zeff raised an eye ''You're willing to give something like this up?''

''Yeah, Luffy's my friend, I don't mind trying to helping work something out.''

''Hmm...'' The man thought it over. ''...well, I don't see why not. It's a bit unorthodox but I can work with it. That damage is taken care of.''

Now relieved, Miguel was about to thank him when Zeff went on ''But...the kid's not leaving so easily. And before you ask, it's my way of teaching a lesson for all the trouble he caused.''

''It's only been a little while, how bad can it be...is what I might have said. But Luffy can find trouble in a basket.''

Zeff barked out a laugh ''He does seem like the sort. Anyway, I'll talk to my cooks. This gem more than covers the expenses. If you come to our place for a meal, it'll count as payment.''

''Thank you.'' Miguel returned.

* * *

''...And that's what happened.''

Usopp looked exasperated while Zoro shook his head ''Glad you were here, at least we got some good out of this.''

''You gave him something like that?'' Nami raised an eye.

Miguel smiled sheepishly ''It seemed like a good idea at the moment. I wasn't sure he'd just take a regular deal anyway if he wanted Luffy to work for a year.''

That wasn't quite what she meant but the girl decided against explaining ''Point taken. Oh well, since you ensured us a free meal, let's eat!''

* * *

Meanwhile, Fullbody had taken a table at the Baratie with his date, intending to impress her. Unfortunately, his plans were falling flat rather fast.

The lieutenant had set it up so they would be served a particular brand of wine but he would pretend not to know and figure it out just from the taste. The one who had given them the wine was a man with blond hair that covered one of his eyes clad in a black suit and similarly colored pants. The man had completely blown his ploy just like that before ignoring Fullbody all together and flirting a little with his date, leaving her blushing.

Not one to let such things slide, Fullbody placed a fly in his soup and called out. ''Hey, waiter! What is this?'' He gestured to his plate. ''You serve bug soup here?''

''No, we don't.''

''Then explain this!''

''I'm afraid I can't. I'm not a bug expert.''

''You little...!'' Fullbody smashed the plate on the ground. ''You've got some nerve! Do you know who I am?!''

The man began to pick up the pieces of the plate ''...Yeah, you made it clear when I served you the wine. Which is when I pointed out that I'm not a waiter, I'm the sous-chef of the Baratie, Sanji.''

''Like I care!'' Fullbody snapped. ''Look at me when I'm talking to you!''

He almost regretted that, as the look Sanji gave him then sent a cold shiver down his spine.

''Tell me something, can money fill your stomach?''

''What?''

''Well, can it? This soup would have been perfectly edible if you got rid of the fly. It took 3 days to make.''

''You arrogant little...'' Fullbody was struck by a hard kick by an angry Sanji who proceeded to beat him down.

''Word of advice.'' Sanji said coolly once he finished. ''Messing with a sea cook is a good way to sign a death warrant. Don't do it again.''

He ignored one of the cooks telling him off before hearing Zeff's voice ''This again, brat? How long are you going to keep this up?''

''Boss!'' Patty the cook seemed relieved. ''Sanji's rampaging again!''

But Zeff paid him no mind, turning to Fullbody again with a glare that promised pain. ''Get out. Now.''

''Good riddance.'' Sanji grunted, seeing the man escape.

Patty was about to comment but then he saw Zoro leading Miguel, Nami and Usopp inside. ''Oh, we got new customers. I'll see to them...''

* * *

''This is so good!'' Usopp grinned. ''Good job on that deal, Miguel!''

The wizard smiled back before he looked around ''...This is some restaurant though, it looked like they kicked out the marine from before just like that.''

''Shame we missed it.'' Zoro said.

That was when Luffy found them ''You guys are eating this good food without me?!''

Nami gave him a flat look ''It's your own fault. Just be glad things are going to be easier on you. That owner wanted to keep you here for a year. You're the one who made such a mess of things to deserve this punishment.''

''You reap what you sow.'' Zoro stated, to which Usopp nodded.

''He's going to cut you a break because Miguel sorted things out, you should be thanking him. Just finish up and you can get food too.'' He added.

Luffy scowled, seeing the glass of water near the sniper, he decided to try something and grinned mischeviously as he took it.

He was left bewildered when the glass floated out of his hand a second later and landed on the opposite of the table.

''I saw that look on your face. Whatever you have in mind, forget it.'' Miguel stated.

Luffy knew by now that the young man could do worse to force him so he backed down ''...You're no fun, Miguel.''

* * *

Luffy was dragged back to work shortly afterwards, just before everyone learned that Gin, Don Krieg's right hand man had escaped captivity. It seemed Fullbody had been escorting him to prison when he decided to have lunch at the Baratie. Surprisingly enough, he had managed to flee despite being starved for days.

This lead to lead to him coming to the restaurant for foot but Patty kicked him out since he didn't have money.

Luffy, who had been around to see the whole altercation, happened to spot Sanji leaving then and followed him. He arrived on deck to see the blond give Gin a plate of fried rice and some water.

''Here, you're starving, aren't you?''

''G-get lost...you're wrong...'' Gin managed.

''Go ahead and eat.'' Sanji obviously didn't buy it. ''Far as I'm concerned, anyone who's hungry is a customer.''

''...I don't have any money though...''

''The sea is cruel at times. I understand those who are starving more than you think.'' Sanji sighed. ''If you want to die with dignity, it's your choice. Eat and you can wake up and start fresh.''

Gin began to tear up, moved by the gesture. He soon began to wolf the rice as much as possible.

''It's delicious...the best food I've ever had!''

Sanji just grinned ''Of course it is.''

Luffy smiled to himself ''...I think I found our cook!''

* * *

''And I tried asking him but he kept refusing!'' Luffy finished, explaining everything to Miguel.

''Heeeh...'' Miguel was impressed. ''...Well, isn't that something? It really does sound like he'd be a good cook.''

Luffy beamed ''That's why he has to join us!''

''Right, right...well, I'm down with it. take it easy on the guy though. You do come off as too much sometimes.''

As it so happened, the two were found by Zeff then. The man glared at Luffy ''There you are, Chore Boy. Stop skipping out on work and go to the kitchen before I drag you.''

Luffy began to whine, Miguel sighed ''Go on, I'll explain everything to the others. You need to take responsibility, you know. Besides, it's like Usopp said, the sooner you finish, the sooner we're free to go.''

''Exactly. Get moving.'' Zeff commanded.

''Fine...'' Luffy walked away, sulking.

''...Sounds like you've got a real piece of work for a captain there, kid.'' Zeff commented.

Miguel laughed a bit ''Well...I guess that's true, in a way. But there's more to him than you think.''

* * *

 _Well, there you go, I hope it was good._

 _More of Miguel's situation will be explained, particularly when they visit Elysia, (I'm planning an arc, but I can't decide when to have it happen exactly) anyway, for now let's just say his family's situation was kind of complicated. They would be the first to help him go on this quest as he said. His family even knows some pirates well and don't judge them simply, thanks in part to the captain I mentioned in the previous chapter, so you can be sure they'll be looking forward to getting to know the Straw Hats._

 _With the way they grew up, Miguel's been taught that there was no such thing as being over prepared so he really went the extra mile before heading off to make sure he could be ready for what came his way._


	7. Chapter 7

_beenjammin0421: Hey, thanks! Miguel has no reason to want to fight Mihawk. As for the Elysia Arc, that's not quite what I meant. I've generally set it up to be after Skypiea actually, I was just trying to decide to do it after that arc directly, or after Water 7. From what I understood, they didn't exactly wind up in Thriller Bark that quickly so I thought it might fit. Yeah, I do have a couple of ideas about Robin getting to know him better._

* * *

''I told you, no! Now get back to work before I make you!''

Irritated, Sanji stepped out to the Baratie's deck, having just turned down another of Luffy's attempts to have him join the crew. While he did appreciate the fact that the teen saw his skills for what they were, he had no intention of becoming a pirate and he wished Luffy would get a hint and lay off.

It wasn't long before he noticed the Merry Go, seeing Miguel looking over curiously and Sanji guessed that he might have heard their exchange.

''...Okay, I have to ask, is he always that pushy?''

''From what I've seen, yeah. But it's mostly because he thinks you're really good at what you do, in that context, in Luffy's mind, he wants the best for the crew.''

That served to mollify him a little, having his suspicions confirmed. Miguel went on ''So it sounds like you've got your own reasons, and I doubt that it's something as simple as not wanting to be a pirate.''

''You'd be right to think so.'' Sanji admitted. ''There's much more to it than that.''

Seemingly picking up on his reluctance to go on, Miguel took over ''Well, you don't have to say more but would you think about it some more? At least so you can give Luffy an answer that would convince him, I really doubt he'd force anyone to join us.''

''I guess you've got a point...''

Before anyone could go on, they spotted a marine running on the other side, hearing him yell out ''Lieutanant, Don Krieg is arriving! His right hand man is coming back with him!''

Suspecting trouble, Miguel held out his water sword to move the Merry Go by controlling the sea waves before flying over to the Baratie and following Sanji inside.

* * *

Many were panicking at the news, while some of the cooks scolded Patty for his actions, who merely defends that he didn't think Krieg would come all this way for one man.

Luffy was confused ''Who's this guy?''

Usopp raised an eye, noticing how Miguel seemed just as puzzled ''I can understand Miguel not having an idea but how do you not know?''

''They call him 'Foul Play' Krieg.'' Zoro offered. ''He's known for his treacherous nature, I heard how he once sailed to a town with a marine ship waving a white flag but he up and attacked it right after that.''

''Would someone like that really come just because his second in command was treated badly?'' Usopp wondered.

''Yeah, I'm not seeing it either.'' The green haired swordsman admitted.

Gin entered the restaurant, supporting a tall, blue haired man ''Please, we need some food...''

''Get real!'' Patty cut him off. ''Who would give you people any?''

''We have money now!'' Gin exclaimed. ''We're able to pay what you want, the Don hasn't eaten in days.''

''I told you, no way!'' The cook retorted, not noticing how Sanji headed to the kitchen.

''Please...'' Krieg croaked. ''...I really need it...I haven't eaten in so long...''

''Don Krieg, don't, it's beneath you.'' Gin stated. ''You said you want money, well we have it!''

''You're not getting a thing. Hey, someone go see if those marines are still here.'' Patty called to the listeners after he knocked the two to the ground. ''This is a great chance to capture those pirates.''

While many of the observers applauded him, Johnny and Yosaku came rushing in through one of the entrances ''Guys, we have a problem!''

''Nami-aneki stole the boat we had tied to your ship, she took all the treasure!'' Yosaku cried.

''What?!'' Luffy and Usopp cried.

''So she betrayed us?'' Usopp went on.

Zoro frowned ''I knew we couldn't count on that thief.''

Luffy refused to believe that ''We've gotta go find her!''

''Are you kidding me?! Forget it, let's just go find a new navigator.''

''No way! She's the only one I'll accept as this crew's navigator.'' Luffy replied adamantly.

Zoro made to retort but then a new voice spoke ''About that...guys, there's something you have to hear.'' Everyone looked at Miguel. ''I know where she's going.''

''You do?'' The two asked in surprise.

He nodded ''There's...something going on with Nami, something really wrong. I don't know what and I tried to talk her out of going...''

* * *

 _Flashback:_

 _''So you want to explain what's going on?''_

 _Nami's eyes widened at the voice before she whirled around to find Miguel watching her. ''H-how long were you standing there?''_

 _''Long enough. You've been acting strange, what happened?''_

 _She stilled for a moment but immediately cut in ''I-I don't know what you're talking about! I was just thinking of where to go next to find treasure.''_

 _''See, that's another point. You might have some of us thinking that you're greedy and it may be true but it doesn't seem like you're gathering that money just for that. Even you agreed with me and Usopp the other day, money isn't worth risking your life. You've more than done that clearly, seeing as how you robbed pirates.''_

 _''W-well...'' What could she say to that? He was right._

 _''It's obviously trouble, we can help you.'' Miguel stated._

 _''You don't know what you're talking about! You can't...'' Nami paused. ''...they're...it's too much.''_

 _''Just try me.'' Miguel said firmly. ''I know that asking for help isn't easy...heck, it's part of the reason I came here to look for treasure in the first place. But it also really pays off. You don't have to explain everything but at least try. You heard Luffy, he wants you to be the navigator even after the way things went down. Do you really think he's going to walk away once he knows you're in trouble? You saw what he did before. It's not like him.''_

 _''But that's just it! I can't involve anyone in this...''_

 _''...Does it have anything to do with Arlong?'' Miguel wanted to know, seeing her stiffen in shock then. ''I saw the way you reacted when you found his poster. I did consider going to the Conomi Islands in my search for treasure once but the sailors who helped me get around that area warned me not to. They said something about a pirate crew in these parts, but it sounded like they were awfully vague about it.''_

 _Nami's fists clenched ''...So what if you're right? What do you think you can do?''_

 _''Anything besides just watch this go on.'' He returned. ''You don't have to deal with everything alone, that's why you have friends you know.''_

 _''It won't make a difference.''_

 _''...What're you going to do then?''_

 _''...I have to leave. I can't risk making things even worse. Not now.''_

 _''Nami...''_

 _''Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do but I can't drag anyone into this. Not after what already happened.''_

 _''You wouldn't be though. It'd be our choice. We want to know the truth.'' He pointed out. ''...Is it that hard to believe that we'd help you?''_

 _''It's not that...I...''_

 _''Fine. Then how about you explain yourself if we meet?'' Miguel suggested, leaving her surprised. ''I don't see Luffy being so okay with you leaving all of a sudden, I doubt any of us would. On the off chance that I'm wrong, which I highly doubt, we'll see what happens. I'll see what I can do to help out for now. Sound fair?''_

 _''...Yeah.'' Nami hesitated. This meant so much...he was helping her and she was giving him near to no reason for doing so. She couldn't phrase how she felt into words right now._

 _While she was hesitant, Nami decided that the least she could do since he was really going out of his way was to take up that deal. She would just wait to see what came of it._

* * *

''Huh, it really does seem like she's keeping a lot.'' Usopp remarked.

''All the more reason to go!'' Luffy insisted.

Learning this made Zoro feel a little better ''Fine...so we're going to make her talk. don't expect too much from that thief.'' Zoro remarked.

''We'll decide how to handle it all when the time comes.'' Luffy stated, earning a nod in return.

''Where did Nami-aneki go, Miguel-aniki?'' Yosaku asked.

''She's on her way to the Conomi Islands.''

''What?!'' He and Johnny cried.

''But that's...that's where Arlong is...'' The latter stuttered.

''That fishman guy from the poster you told us about?! Why there?'' Usopp exclaimed.

''I don't know but...if her reaction is anything to go by, Arlong has to do with the problem.'' Miguel offered.

''This just got more complicated...what did she get involve herself in?'' Zoro wondered.

Luffy made to speak but was distracted when a newly returned Sanji pushed Patty away, giving Gin and Krieg a plate of food and a wine bottle.

''What're you doing?!''

''Here.'' Sanji tuned him out. ''Sorry, it took a bit to prepare.''

''Thank you, Sanji-san!'' Gin smiled, handing his captain the items.

''Have you lost it, Sanji?! I know you give food to the people we tend to kick out but this time you've gone too far!'' Patty growled.

''That's right, we can't help this guy. He's like a snake, he's only out for his own interest!'' Carne added.

Krieg began to stand once he finished the food, ''Much better...'' He punched Sanji hard then, eliciting cries of surprise and fear from the cooks. ''...you've really stumbled across a fine ship, Gin. I'll be taking it.''

''What?!''

''No, Don Krieg! You promised we'd get food and leave!'' Gin reminded only to be stopped as the captain glowered at him.

''That bastard...'' Patty grit his teeth while Sanji glared at Krieg. ''...this is all Sanji's fault...''

''Why would he even feed that guy? He shouldn't have bothered!'' Johnny stated.

Krieg looked at the cooks ''I need a new ship, so it will be this one. My men are starving on our old ship, prepare food and water for a hundred people and deliver it to us immediately.''

''Don!'' Gin tried to protest but Krieg struck him and sent him to the ground.

Naturally, most of the cooks were never going to agree and they quickly voiced their protests, angering Krieg.

''Let's make this clear, that was an order. You don't get to disobey me, no one does!''

''I'm so sorry, I didn't think he would...'' Gin looked up at the sound of footsteps, seeing Sanji heading towards the kitchen. ''...Sanji-san?''

''Where are you going?'' Carne asked.

''To the kitchen, of course. We have to prepare food for a 100 people.''

''He can't be serious...'' Yosaku's jaw dropped as they watched a number of the cooks block the blond's path.

''You're not going any further!''

''What happened already is bad enough!''

''Are you trying to help them take the Baratie?!''

''We won't let you do this!''

''Yeah? Well, if you want to stop me, you'll have to try harder.'' Sanji returned. ''I don't care who the person is but if I see them hungry, I'll feed them. That's what we're supposed to do as cooks.''

''It's not nearly that simple!'' Carne retorted.

Patty's eyes narrowed ''Just keep him there, guys. We'll do our best to protect the restaurant.'' He took out a small cannon. ''Did you enjoy your food, Krieg? Have a little dessert!''

He fired a cannon ball that hit the mark, creating smoke. People started to cheer and Patty looked smug and relieved at the result, something that changed completely as the smoke faded, revealing Krieg to be unharmed.

''That dessert was awful, I'll show you to respect me!'' Krieg raised his arms, revealing a number of firearms which were immediately fired. Luffy took care of all the bullets with a Gum Gum Balloon, making sure no one was hurt.

''As if something so pathetic could have scratched my invincible Wootz Steel armor. I have never lost a battle, thus I am the strongest!'' The pirate declared proudly.

That was when another surprise took place...

''Here.'' Zeff made his way through and tossed Krieg a big bag full of food. ''Now take a hike!''

''Chief Zeff?!''

Usopp stared on, feeling just as puzzled ''Him too?''

''Boss, what're you doing?!'' The cooks looked in on shock.

''It's like you're supporting Sanji in this!'' Patty exclaimed.

''They're going to attack us when they get their strength back!'' Carne added.

''That's if their spirits survived their failure. They just barely survived the Grand Line from what I can see.'' Zeff stated calmly.

''Wait, that's why that ship was totaled?'' Johnny raised an eye.

''All of Don Krieg's fleet couldn't last in the Grand Line?!'' Patty looked stunned.

''What kind of place is it?!'' Usopp wondered fearfully.

''Looking back, Gin mentioned something like that...'' Sanji recalled.

Krieg spoke up then ''So that's why you seem familiar...you're 'Red-Leg Zeff' the captain of the Cook Pirates!''

Luffy looked surprised ''The old man was a pirate?''

''So this is why he's that strong...'' Zoro trailed off.

''Yeah, he seems experienced too.'' Miguel remarked.

''You've really fallen from grace, haven't you? Losing your leg now...'' Krieg stated.

''I'm retired, I don't need a leg to cook.'' Zeff crossed his arms.

''I want your logbook.'' Krieg demanded. ''It will have the information I need to get through the Grand Line!''

''You're not getting it.''

Krieg's eyes narrowed ''I'd rethink that statement if I were you, or I'll destroy every last one of you worthless scum. I'll have it and find One Piece, I will be the Pirate King!''

''Hey! I'm going be the Pirate King!'' Luffy objected.

''Don't worry about it so much, Luffy.'' Miguel patted his shoulder. ''He clearly went unprepared and paid the price. If that weren't bad enough, he's still overestimating himself. All the logbooks in the world won't help that arrogant behavior.''

''What was that?!'' Krieg snarled.

Zeff cracked a smirk ''I couldn't have said it better myself, kid.''

''There's a lot more to the Grand Line than it seems, you'd never last if you don't work hard for it and be well prepared.'' Miguel stated.

''What does a brat like you think he knows?!''

''He'd know better than you, Miguel's from the Grand Line!'' Luffy stated, leaving the two pirates surprised.

''Luffy, you big-mouthed idiot!'' Usopp hissed.

''You probably shouldn't have said that...'' Yosaku trailed off.

''Fine, then I'll be taking the logbook and that kid. You'll be helping me get traverse through it.'' Krieg declared.

Miguel glared back ''Not happening.''

''Who said you have a choice in the matter?!'' Krieg snarled. ''I can't stand it...My fleet last a week because of the lack of information.'' Everyone except Zeff and Miguel were surprised at the news, but he went on. ''That's why I'll make sure to change things this time around, and anyone who opposes me will die.''

''Yeah? Well, you're not getting my crewmate either!'' Luffy returned.

''This is getting interesting...'' Zoro lay a hand on his swords as he and Miguel stood on either side of Luffy.

Usopp wasn't so daring ''W-we're really going to fight...?''

''I'm guessing you're the pirate Gin mentioned.'' Krieg acknowledged. ''So that's all you have for a crew?''

''There's two more!''

''Don't count me along!'' Sanji exclaimed.

Johnny blinked ''Is he counting Nami-aneki too?''

Krieg picked up the sack of food ''I'll go and feed my men. If you don't want to die, you had best not be here when I get back.''

''Guys, shouldn't we leave?'' Usopp inquired.

''Y-yeah, Krieg wants to take Miguel-aniki now too!'' Yosaku reminded.

''Fat chance.'' Zoro crossed his arms.

''Yeah, we're not running from that jerk!'' Luffy retorted.

''Sanji-san, I'm so sorry...'' Gin lowered his head.

''That doesn't matter. We did what we had to.'' Sanji stated. ''This is where it ends though, Krieg and his bunch are in for a rude awakening if they think they'll take this restaurant.''

Zeff's expression proved that he agreed completely ''We've done our job, that's that.''

''Boss, why are you taking Sanji's side in this?!'' Patty demanded.

''Do you have any idea what it is like to be truly starved?'' Zeff said sharply. ''To wait and wait but not find any, no matter how hard you try? That's why I decided to make this restaurant...only Sanji understands.''

Eyes traveled to the blond cook in question, but his expression remained unreadable. There was clearly quite a story there...

Usopp looked at Gin ''Hey, I don't get it. How can all those ships fall apart in a single week?''

''I wanna know too!'' Luffy added. ''What happened to you guys, Gin?''

''Honestly, there's not much I can say...'' Gin admitted. ''...at first, it seemed all right. Things were really peaceful and it looked like we were having a good start...''

''Wait a sec,'' Miguel interjected. ''Sorry but something about that sounds familiar, how exactly did you get to the Grand Line?''

The man raised an eye but answered ''Well, the route did seem odd. There was no wind, but we got to work around it.''

''Is Krieg demented? He actually had you go through the Calm Belt. That has to be the worst route ever.'' Miguel remarked.

''Agreed. Demented might be too nice a word though.'' Zeff stated.

Sanji looked between the two. ''What's the Calm Belt?''

''A nest of Sea Kings.'' The latter replied, eliciting shock from many. ''Yeah, that seems to be the general reaction. Many try to avoid it for a damn good reason.''

''That can't be the only route...'' Zoro started.

''It isn't.'' Zeff confirmed. ''That's what the kid and I were getting at before. Krieg's just an arrogant moron who only cares about his own goals.''

Gin looked a little shaken by the news but he spoke ''T-that does explain what happened back then...just when we thought things were settling, someone attacked us. He...he destroyed our fleet of 50 ships just with his sword.''

Many of the listeners were stunned.

''What?!''

''No way!''

''I wish it wasn't like that...'' Gin continued. ''...but I remember him so well...that huge black sword and those cold golden eyes, like a hawk...''

''You ran into him!?'' Johnny exclaimed while Zoro's eyes widened.

Miguel also caught on ''Of all the people...''

''Who are you talking about?'' Luffy looked at them.

''He's...the man I set out to defeat.'' Zoro started. ''The Shichibukai known as the best swordsman in the world, 'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk.''

Sanji looked bewildered ''Why the hell would a big shot like that attack them?''

''They might have disturbed his nap.'' Zeff offered.

''AS IF!'' Gin yelled. ''Who'd attack for such a ridiculous reason?!''

''Don't overreact, it was just a guess. You'd be amazed at what could happen in the Grand Line.''

This left Zoro curious, he looked at Miguel ''...What kind of place is that sea?''

''Well, it's hard to describe but I think Zeff-san has the right idea. Anything could happen there.''

Luffy grinned, excitement clear in his tone ''It sounds great! I can't wait to get there!''

''How can you take it like that?'' Usopp wondered.

''Miguel-aniki, should you be staying here? Krieg's after you too.'' Johnny reminded.

''I said it before, I'm not helping someone like him.'' The wizard replied.

''And I won't let that guy win!'' Luffy declared.

Screams resounded from outside, making everyone look over in alarm, just in time to see the Krieg Pirates' ship falling apart...

* * *

The Krieg Pirates were forced to swim away from their collapsing ship, all looking to get to safety. The observers were left confused, thinking how sudden this all seemed...

''It didn't look like it was that bad off...why'd it just collapse like that?'' Yosaku wondered.

''Look closer.'' Zoro returned. ''This is deliberate.''

Sanji looked around ''Those pieces look like they've been sliced out...''

Krieg growled as he stood on a large piece of wood ''He must have followed us here!''

His crew was panicking as the realization sank in...

''Not again!''

''I thought it was over...why would he follow us?!''

''We're going to die!''

Everyone could see a boat making its way through the waters, on it stood a man with black hair and sharp golden eyes like Gin described. It was indeed him, the Shichibukai, Dracule Mihawk.

''What do you want?!'' Krieg yelled.

''I'm passing some time.'' He replied simply.

This angered the captain some more, leaving him to fire a round of bullets at the new arrival. Mihawk remained unfazed, and for good reason as he proceeds to use the black sword strapped to his back to send all the bullets to sea with a single stroke.

''Did he just...?'' Johnny's jaw dropped.

''No way!'' Usopp exclaimed.

''What incredible grace and technique...'' Miguel trailed off.

Mihawk glanced at him ''A sword is worthless without the proper skill and technique tempering it.''

That was something he had learned and firmly believed as well ''That's true...''

''There's no need for such caution, young wizard.'' Mihawk continued. ''I have no qualms with any of you.''

Miguel wondered how the man could tell he was a wizard but he didn't care to ask now ''...You'll have to forgive me for being skeptic. Your reputation preceeds you.''

''Hn, fair enough.'' He returned. ''It's wise to be cautious. I notice that your hand hasn't so much as touched your sword though.''

''I'm not arrogant to assume that I can beat you in sword play. But that doesn't mean I'll stand and watch if you hurt my friends or any of the innocents here.'' Miguel returned coolly. Despite all the training he had gone through, he doubted he could match up to the man but that would not deter him.

Mihawk's expression remained blank but he could tell that the young man meant every word. He had no intention of fighting him but he would do so if given reason, despite the overwhelming odds. Very few gave such a word and meant it before him, that was something noteworthy in Mihawk's experience.

He sounded intrigued by the wizard as he returned ''Duly noted.''

''Whoa...Miguel-aniki's actually staring him down just like that?'' Johnny asked.

Zeff smirked ''That kid's got nerves of steel for sure.''

Zoro stepped up ''This makes it clear, you really are the best. It's been my goal to find you.''

''What is your goal?'' Mihawk inquired.

''To be the best!''

The man seemed unimpressed, now having an idea of where this was going. ''You're looking to pass time, right? Well, let's duel!'' Zoro challenged.

Miguel looked at him ''Zoro, that's...''

''I have to do.'' Zoro cut in, the wizard's expression told him plenty about what he thought of the challenge. ''I can't let this chance go...I've waited so long to prove myself.''

Mihawk gave him a cold look ''You're a fool. If you are a swordsman of any ability, you must sense the difference in our skill just like he does.'' he added with a glance at Miguel. ''What in the world would compel you to do this?''

''For my dream...and a promise to a fallen friend.'' Zoro faced the man, taking out his three swords. This made the cooks and the Krieg Pirates surprised as they immediately realized who he was.

''Very well then...'' Mihawk let out a breath.

Sanji was shocked ''He actually want to...? But there's no way he can win! This is crazy!''

Johnny and Yosaku cheered for their old friend while Usopp looked unnerved as he tried to ask Luffy about the situation with Nami, but the captain already knew that there was no point bringing this up now. Knowing Zoro, his decision had been set ever since they heard of the Shichibukai coming. He could only hope that he would make it.

Mihawk confused everyone by taking a small knife out of the cross he wore around his neck. Seemingly picking up on this, he explained ''This is what I will use for this battle. You may be strong in the East Blue but it's the weakest out of the oceans, that doesn't mean anything to me.''

Zoro looked angry ''Don't regret that talk when you die, Oni-Giri!''

His opponent stopped his charge by leveling the dagger's tip to block the three swords, leaving many shocked.

''He stopped Zoro-aniki's signature move?!'' Yosaku exclaimed.

''How is that possible?'' Johnny cried while Usopp swallowed hard.

Unfortunately, things just got worse from there. Zoro continued to attack with all his might, launching a stream of strikes that never went near their target. Mihawk parried each and every strike with ease, clearly not even breaking a sweat.

''I'm not this far behind from the world's best!'' Zoro cried.

''You are so unrestrained. This isn't even a battle between swordsmen anymore.'' Mihawk stated.

''He can't mock Zoro-aniki like that!'' Johnny yelled. He and Yosaku tried to step in but Luffy forcefully pushed them aside.

''...It's the truth, Johnny.'' Miguel knew that it wasn't mockery though, Mihawk was stating a fact. Zoro was clearly shaken up and he was getting more and more angry as he could tell the difference in their skill. ''Zoro might as well be waving the swords around for the good they're doing...he's hardly even thinking, let alone using what he learned over the years.''

It all just added up to a quick way to lose. And if Miguel saw that, Mihawk _definitely_ did.

''So what, you think he's going to lose?!'' Yosaku demanded.

Miguel honestly wanted to tell them no, to have the same faith they did in Zoro, but he already knew the outcome. He had the sinking suspicion that Luffy recognized the situation for what it was too.

Zoro tried to attack with Tiger Hunt but was forcefully stopped seconds later, the reason revealed to be Mihawk's dagger stabbing his chest.

''Why press on? That could have pierced your heart.'' He remarked.

''I couldn't...'' Zoro held back a wince as the pain from his new wound spread. ''...after all I went through? I just couldn't...it would make all I've done worthless. I would rather die than let that happen.''

''...Tell me your name.'' Mihawk sounded intrigued by his opponent now.

''Roronoa Zoro.''

''What a strong will, in return for your demonstration, I will take you down with this black blade.''

Zoro remained unfazed, holding his weapons at the ready, despite the obviously powerful blade leveled to face him. ''...I appreciate it.''

''Zoro-aniki!''

''Don't!'' Johnny and Yosaku cried.

''...He's not going to back down.'' Usopp pointed out. ''This is something he has to see through.''

* * *

Knowing that Mihawk wasn't about to hold back, Zoro decided to put his all in the next attack. Ignoring everything but his opponent, Zoro dashed past him, his sword at the ready with Mihawk stopping behind him.

Silence reigned for a few moments but it was soon shattered as two of Zoro's swords were destroyed, leaving only the white blade in mouth, Wado Ichimonji. Zoro didn't so much as flinch as the realization of his loss sank in, despite the gash appearing on his chest.

Mihawk blinked when Zoro turned to face him ''What are you doing?''

''A wound on a swordsman's back is his greatest shame.''

This elicited a smirk from the Shichibukai, who had grown to respect his opponent. ''Indeed.''

With that said, he cut Zoro down with a single slash of his black blade, Yoru, leaving him to fall in the ocean.

''ZORO!'' Usopp and Miguel cried.

''ANIKI!'' Johnny and Yosaku looked on in shock.

''DAMN YOU!'' Luffy jumped to face Mihawk. ''You're not getting away with this!''

Mihawk dodged the teen's kick ''Ah, so the two of you are his comrades? I'm impressed with you for restrainining yourselves, difficult as it may have been.'' He sidestepped to avoid an oncoming punch. ''Don't misunderstand, I didn't kill him.'' This made Luffy pause in surprise. ''I expect that the young wizard must have noticed, that being the only reason he didn't follow on his word from earlier. See for yourself.''

And indeed, Luffy found his friends settling Zoro on deck, with Johnny and Yosaku exclaiming in relief that he was alive. Luffy was quick to note that Miguel was the only one relatively calm and completely focused on tending to Zoro, which meant that Mihawk was right.

Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku watched as Miguel conjured his healing magic to see to their friend, they were relieved to find that the power was closing up Zoro's wounds.

''Listen! It's too soon for you to die, my name is Dracule Mihawk! Find yourself and get stronger!'' The Shichibukai addressed Zoro. ''I will await you at the top, surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!''

''To hear something like that from him...the Pirate Hunter won his respect.'' Zeff stated.

Mihawk wasn't quite done either ''You two...what are you dreams?''

Luffy didn't hesitate ''I'm going to be King of all Pirates!''

Miguel was every bit as determined as his captain, speaking when Mihawk looked at him ''I'll complete the Phantom Quest.''

This left many confused but Mihawk clearly understood ''You three certainly have lofty goals.''

''I don't care!'' Luffy crossed his arms.

''That may be true but it won't stop me.'' Miguel returned.

''Luffy...can you hear me?'' Zoro spoke up, beginning to feel better with the magic giving him a much needed boost in strength. ''I'm...sorry for losing...and for making you worry. It'll be bad for you if I don't become the Greatest Swordsman, right?'' He proceeded to raise Wado in the air. ''So remember this! I'll never lose again! Until I defeat him...I won't be beaten by anyone! Is that allright...KING OF PIRATES?!''

Luffy couldn't help the grin spreading on his face ''YEAH!''

Miguel gave a small smile, having finished his work. He knew that Zoro would use this experience as a stepping stone to become much stronger. Johnny and Yosaku looked alarmed as they saw him lean against the rail behind them.

''Miguel-aniki, what's wrong?''

''Isn't it obvious? Healing a wound like that would take quite a lot of power.'' Zeff stated, leaving them to concede the point.

''You three make for an interesting crew. I hope we meet again.'' Mihawk remarked.

''...Thanks.'' Zoro told Miguel. ''You didn't have to.''

''I wanted to.'' He returned. ''I'll be fine...just give me a few...''

''Oi, did you forget about me?!'' Krieg demanded as the man turned. to leave ''I won't let you get away!''

Usopp looked dumbfounded ''This guy has to be brain-dead. He should be glad Mihawk left him alone.''

''You got that right.'' Sanji agreed, shaking his head at Krieg's idiocy.

Mihawk didn't even bother with Krieg much, all he did was slice the ocean with one sweep of Yoru, destroying the major remnant of the man's ship before leaving.

''Usopp, we need to get to Nami, you guys go find her!'' Luffy commanded.

''You bet!'' The sniper returned, after seeing what happened here, he gained determination of his own. ''We'll get her back and go to the Grand Line together!''

''Hey, you coming?'' Zoro asked.

Miguel shook his head ''I'd like to see this through to the end, it wouldn't hurt for Luffy to have some back up here. But we'll see you guys soon.''

''Right.''

''Count on it!'' His fellow crewmates replied before heading to the Merry Go to leave.

''Hey old man! If I get rid of those guys, can we count the debt repaid?'' Luffy called to Zeff.

''Sure, brat.'' The cook replied. ''It's probably the best for all our sakes anyway.''

''All right, let's do this!'' Luffy grinned.

* * *

 _Let's cut off here now._

 _Well, how was this? I have to admit, this story just started out as a test run but I'm having fun with it. I don't really like to just copy and past canon stuff sometimes so I decided to put a few twists on things. Though I'm not sure about if the canon mentions anything about Krieg going to the Calm Belt, it didn't sound like his crew even went near Reverse Mountain so it made me wonder if that was how Mihawk found them._

 _Just to clarify, Miguel picked up on how Nami was growing tense the more they waited and how she seemed to be gathering up all her stuff discreetly. That, added with what her reaction to the Arlong poster and the secrets she kept made him decide to question her. Nami decided to agree to his proposal because she was almost sure he would stop her leaving otherwise and partly because she truly wanted to see what would come of it._

 _The Phantom Quest refers to finding and returning the Serenity Crystal to Elysia. It got that title because as mentioned before, facts about the crystal are near non-existent and no one has been able to find it in many years._


	8. Chapter 8

_beenjammin0421: Hey, thanks! That's kind of what I was going for, we've got enough crazy to go around, a little common sense would be plenty of good. Glad you like the story, I already have some ideas, I hope you'll like the changes you'll see._

* * *

''Hmph, this'll be a piece of cake!'' Krieg declared, still managing to hold onto his arrogance despite everything. ''The only pirates around are a devil fruit user and another tired one. They don't stand a chance. Attack!''

His crew readily followed the command, hurriedly getting up to swarm the Baratie. Any who went near Luffy and Miguel were quickly defeated by the former, who had noticed how the latter seemed to be in the middle of casting a spell and so would help ensure that they don't get in the way.

On another part of the ship, Zeff watched the attackers impassively for a few before lashing out with a powerful kick, the wind from which knocked many of them back. ''If you think the kids are the only ones you need to worry about, you're in for a rude awakening.'' The cooks cheered loudly as they agreed to this.

''Oh yeah? Let's see you keep that big talk up!''

But it was soon proven true as many of the Krieg Pirates were sent regretting their actions with the cooks holding their own, helped especially by Carne blasting them with the ship's cannons.

What-or rather who-really tipped the scale in their favor was Sanji. None of the pirates stood a chance before the blond chef, who was beating any adversary with ease with quick and powerful kicks.

Luffy began to grin ''I knew he was tough!''

''He really is clearing out a crowd, huh?''

He blinked and looked left, seeing Miguel join him ''Hey, you okay?''

''I'm not back at a 100% yet...'' Miguel admitted. His healing magic may only be good with wounds and injuries but it had the added benefit of restoring his vitality. ''...but I can keep fighting.''

''Good, then let's go!''

* * *

''This is absurd.''

Sanji turned at the voice, finding one of the enemies leering at him ''You're not even fighting with your hands. Do you still think it's not worth going all out?''

''A chef's hands are their life. I have no intention of risking mine now, this style is all I need to fight.''

''You're a fool, that's why you'll lose. I have never lost a battle before.'' The man bragged.

Sanji was unimpressed ''Don't go bragging so much. You guys wouldn't even be here if you were that strong, so if you think you're scaring me, don't waste my time.''

The man looked angry ''Fine, I, 'Iron Wall' Pearl will now defeat you!''

Sanji dodged a couple of his punches before Pearl jumped back and began firing projectiles that resembled cannonballs, but also looked like the namesake. Sanji was quick to avoid them to the best of his ability. Pearl grit his teeth and fired another round fast, almost nailing Sanji a few times and letting him get a couple of punches in.

The cook thought fast and kicked one of the projectiles at Pearl, hitting his gut and leaving him stunned. He took advantage of this to kick him repeatedly, ending the barrage with a final, powerful kick that sent him flying back.

The Krieg Pirates were in shock, not even paying attention to their captain telling them to keep going. The Baratie's cooks cheered, to see one of their own doing so well. Pearl slowly got up, suddenly stiffening as his eyes widened.

He touched the side of his head and cried out ''This is...blood! I'm bleeding...!''

If that wasn't random enough, things got even more confusing as Pearl began to really panic and for some reason, this really worried many of the Krieg Pirates who tried to calm him down.

But it failed as the man proceeded to unleash numerous flaming projectiles, while Sanji made sure to avoid them, a few landed on the Baratie.

''Oi, Pearl! Are you trying to damage the ship we're going to take?!'' Krieg growled.

''Has he lost it?'' Sanji grimaced as the fire began to spread around the restaurant. ''Stop it!''

''What, you getting scared?'' Pearl sneered, ignoring his angry denial. ''I'll finish this now, Fire Pearl!''

The cooks hurried to douse the flames. Sanji ground his teeth and decided to stop this before Pearl made things worse, proceeding to kick the pirate hard then. Before he could go on, however, Sanji heard a voice calling for him to stop and another demanding to know what the deal was.

Bewildered, Sanji looked back to find that the second voice had belonged to Luffy, who was staring at Gin. The man was currently holding a gun to Zeff's head.

''This doesn't have to go on.'' Gin's voice broke the ensuing silence. ''Sanji-san, please...just give up the ship and everyone can go free. It doesn't have to be this way.''

''That's not going to happen.'' The blond replied without hesitation. ''Aim that at me for all I care but I'm never going to surrender the restaurant, got it?''

Gin grimaced, watching as Pearl blindsided the cook with an attack. Luffy started ''What're you doing?! Don't just stand there!''

''If...I fight back...'' Sanji pulled himself up. ''...he's going to fire that thing. I won't risk the old geezer's life.''

Then, all of a sudden, Zeff was surrounded by a violet aura that levitated him and pushed him out of the area. Gin recovered from the surprise and tried to stop this but Luffy, already knowing what was up, punched him back.

''Back off!''

The violet aura receded and Zeff landed near the rubber teen and Miguel, with the man looking at the latter in sudden understanding.

''...You're a bag full of surprises, aren't you, kid?''

Miguel gave a small smile while Sanji sighed in relief, glad that the situation was averted.

''You two shouldn't have interfered.'' Gin said at last.

''We weren't going to run away.'' Luffy retorted.

''You keep acting like that but Krieg made sure we'd be involved, remember? I'm not just going to watch him do whatever he wants.'' Miguel stated. ''If anything, you're the one who needs to stop this. You obviously don't want to follow his orders now, Krieg's not going to win.''

''You're wrong!'' Gin said strongly. ''Don Krieg is the strongest man in East Blue.''

''...You really are a fool if you believe that.'' Zeff remarked.

''That's for sure.'' Luffy agreed. ''I'll fight you now!''

''Fine by me.'' The man returned. ''I'll take you down and help my captain fulfill his ambitions.''

As the two squared off, Zeff glanced at Miguel ''...There really is more to him than meets the eye. You were good at handling things but you're spent after all you've done. Dealing with the small fry would be easy but you aren't up for a fight like that one now.''

''You really are good...'' Miguel returned, some surprise evident in his tone. ''...it's true. I can pull off support just fine but it's like you said, fighting like that is most likely going to get me in trouble right now.''

''Don't feel too bad. It's good to acknowledge your limits. You'd be surprised how many people your age and even older can't even do that.''

Seeing how Pearl's rapid volley of projectiles was causing more damage, Zeff's eyes narrowed a bit ''I'd better get to work then...''

He aimed a single kick at the burning area, sending sharp winds that made the flames die out, leaving many of the observers shocked.

This left Pearl to scowl ''You won't stop this!''

He used another round of Fire Pearls, firing them all at once. As he kicked Gin back, Luffy happened to see them. He wasn't worried, though.

The volley suddenly stopped in mid-air before being thrown into the ocean by Miguel's gravity magic, to general surprise.

''Thanks! I'll make sure he stays down this time,'' Sanji rushed at Pearl, lauching some fast kicks that took him off guard, even causing cracks in the armor. ''Reception!''

The following kick slammed the man's head down and Sanji added another attack. ''Flanchet!''

Pearl crashed down even harder, now clearly unable to fight, to his comrades' disbelief.

''He won?!''

''No way!''

''All right!'' Luffy calmly blocked Gin's tonfa. ''That won't work on me! Gum Gum Spear!''

The sudden attack hit the man hard, leaving him to fall. The Krieg Pirates were in shock that their two most powerful fighters had been defeated. One glance at their captain had many troubled, and for good reason. For Kreig's already short temper was a step short of blowing up and they were wary of his wrath.

''You useless bastards!'' He cried. ''I have to do everything by myself.''

Krieg saw Luffy jump on the broken platform opposite his ''So you've come on your own? Idiot chore boy, you'll lose! I'm not only stronger but you're a devil fruit user, you don't stand a chance.''

Luffy wasn't fazed by his words at all ''That's what you think!''

* * *

''Eat this!'' He sent a few arrows from the cross bow that had been on his side but Luffy deftly dodged them. Krieg aimed a punch next, with Luffy ducking to avoid it, seeing that the man's gauntlets had spikes on them.

As they continued to fight, Luffy was beginning to see that Krieg relied on a number of weapons that he could activate easily. The older pirate laughed as the teen jumped back to avoid a burst of fire from his flamethrower. ''Useless resistance! You're not going to win, Chore boy. I'll finish you off, take the logbook and that other brat to help me get through the Grand Line!''

''No way!'' Luffy punched him. ''I won't let you. You're not taking Miguel!''

Krieg righted himself and made to attack, but then both were startled by a few shocked cries coming from somewhere nearby. It didn't take them long to find the reason. Gin was now holding Sanji at gunpoint.

Krieg grinned ''Good work, Gin! Now shoot him!''

Sanji appeared unfazed ''...So this is what it's come to?''

''It didn't have to be like this. All you had to do was leave the restaurant.'' Gin stated.

''I told you before, it's not going to happen.''

''Why? It's not worth this!''

Sanji's eyes narrowed, did he really expect them to simply just bow down and give up because Krieg said so? As if. There was more to it though...

''Chief Zeff saved my life, not only that, he took me under his wing and taught me all he knew. This place means everything to the old geezer. I already took so much from him...his power and dream...I'm going to make sure he doesn't lose this, no matter what!''

Miguel had a feeling there was quite a story there. It didn't change how he felt about the declaration though.

''...He says it like that but...risking one's life would be the complete opposite of repayment.''

If he had looked at Zeff then, he would've seen the glint of approval in the chef's eyes at the words.

Before things progressed any further though, something else happened that threw everyone for a loop.

Luffy stretched out his leg and rammed it against the Baratie. The cooks cried out in shock and alarm while Sanji looked at the teen and Gin appeared bewildered.

''STOP! What're you doing?!''

Miguel thought things over and it suddenly added up. ''...Sorry about him, Luffy means well but he really does come off as too much sometimes.''

Zeff chuckled, knowing that he had caught on as well. ''I don't mind, kid.''

Luffy's next words proved their suspicion to be spot on ''If the ship is gone, they can't have it.''

''It's not that simple. You can't just...do you understand the situation here? I won't let you destroy the ship, I still have a debt to pay!''

''This isn't the way to do it!'' Luffy retorted. ''The old man didn't risk his life so you would throw yours away like this. This way, all he did for you would be meaningless!''

Sanji seemed at a loss of words here and Miguel put in his piece ''He's right. I get that the Baratie means a lot to you guys but it isn't worth your lives. Worse comes to worse, even if it is lost in all this, you can rebuild it. Lives are irreplaceable, that's why no one should treat theirs carelessly.''

''I...'' The blond lowered his head.

''Gin!'' Krieg called. ''What're you waiting for? Move it!'' When his right hand man didn't respond, the man pressed on. ''Shoot him!''

Then, Gin's arm began to shake as he spoke, his voice cracking up ''I can't!'' He wept. ''I have the utmost respect for you, Don Krieg. I'll follow you anywhere but I can't shoot him! This man has shown me kindness I had never experienced before. Please...let's just leave and find another ship.''

Krieg glowered at him, not even considering the speech ''...You have some nerve. You didn't just disobey me, you actually the nerve to tell me what to do. You know I hate feelings getting in the way. You're a disappointment, Gin!''

The man took out a mask, leaving his pirates nearby troubled as they could see where this was going.

''But that means...!''

''The MH5?!''

''He's going to use that poison gas now?!''

They all proceeded to search themselves, some fumbling as they got out their own masks.

''Means don't matter, only the ends do. All I care about is victory, it's true strength!'' Krieg declared, holding the gas bomb in his hand.

Luffy scowled ''What about your crew?!''

''If they were so useless as to be caught up in it then they're weak. They deserve to die.'' He replied readily. ''Gin! Don't you dare put on that mask, a traitor like you don't deserve to.''

''Don't listen to him!'' Luffy said at once.

''That guy only cares about him. He doesn't deserve your loyalty.'' Miguel added.

''You're wrong!'' The man said, to their surprise. ''Don Krieg is the greatest man in the world!''

''How can you even talk like that?! You heard him just now!'' Sanji exclaimed.

''It's what I deserve! I acted in a way that shames someone of my position.''

The three were understandably upset by all this but Luffy hurried to pick up masks, stretching an arm with one towards Sanji. Then Krieg threw the bomb, making it release a purple cloud of poison gas.

''This will put you in your place!''

Seconds later, something flashed and the cloud was encompassed by winds that were growing faster, sweeping up the cloud and blowing it high into the sky before dispersing it.

Krieg's jaw dropped ''What just happened?!''

Having a very good guess, Luffy grinned and looked back, seeing Miguel holding up his wind sword in their direction.

''Thanks, you did great!'' He chirped, Miguel smiled back.

Krieg cursed ''I'll make sure you pay for that!'' Seeing how his threat was once more ineffective made him angrier but before he could do anything, Luffy sprang right back to battle and kicked him.

Krieg activated another weapon, one that released spikes which his opponent manages to dodge in time but the Don proceeded to toss small bombs that caught him off guard.

Undaunted, Luffy pushed through the pain and punched Krieg's side before using a Gum Gum Pistol that damaged the armor, to the pirates' shock. Krieg wasn't finished yet either.

He wiped the blood from the side of his face and scowled ''This is far from over! Let's see how you like my Great Battle Spear.'' Luffy dodged the following swipe which caused an explosion a second later. He was left on the defensive as Krieg kept his assault up, but soon he was cornered as he neared the edge of the piece was of wood they were on, now dangerously close to the water.

Krieg smirked as he picked up on this, attacking once more, feeling satisfied as he hit the mark. His crew began cheering him on but he paid them no mind for the moment as he watched Luffy move back and struck again.

Sanji grimaced as Luffy endeavored to get away from the water, it worked but he was blown back by another explosion in the process.

''He's getting up again? There's no point, that spear's too powerful. The fight's completely in Krieg's favor!'' Sanji exclaimed.

''I wonder about that.'' Zeff returned, noting how Miguel watched things proceed. The look on his face proved that his faith in his captain was still strong. ''Chore Boy's got a spear more powerful than all of Krieg's arsenal.''

''What do you mean?'' His apprentice asked.

''Conviction.'' Zeff replied simply. ''That's what matters most in a fight like this. Here, the one who hesitates will lose. The brat has yet to show any, if anything, he's the worst kind of opponent to face but also the best ally to have on your side.''

Krieg made to hit Luffy again, only to stop in surprise when the teen stomped on the spear's tip, leaving it to fall apart.

''M-my spear! What did you do?''

''I punched the tip five times!'' Luffy replied. ''Now all you have is a bomb on a stick, it won't help you.''

''Oh yeah?'' Krieg scowled. ''Don't bet on it, I can still finish you off. You're barely standing anyway.''

''Yeah, right!'' Luffy was undaunted as ever. ''I'm going to win!''

His opponent attacked again but Luffy jumped and kicked the man's arm, making him drop his weapon. The rubber teen then cocked a fist ''Gum Gum Pistol!''

He sent Krieg into the air with the punch before following up with more attacks that slowly but surely caused cracks along Krieg's armor before finalizing it with a Whip attack that threw Krieg down hard.

''D-dammit...'' Krieg grunted, pulling himself up. He was clearly too stubborn to stop but this had clearly caused a lot of damage. ''...I won't lose, take this!''

He activated a mechanism on his armor, which fired a net that caught Luffy off guard and trapped him. Krieg barked out a laugh ''How do you like that? Now I've got you!''

Luffy quickly realized that there was something he could do here ''No, you don't. Gum Gum Bell!'' Krieg yelled out in pain and shock as the teen's head hit his own, and Luffy angled his leg then.

''Gum Gum Tsuchi!''

The follow up slammed Krieg down on another drifting piece of wood, knocking him out. Gin and all the other pirates were left dumbfounded as they could only stare at their fallen captain.

''Don Krieg lost?!''

''No way!''

''It can't be!''

Sanji's eyes widened when he noticed Luffy swaying in place and hurried to catch, recalling what Krieg said about him being a devil fruit user. It was best not to let him touch the waters, especially when he was so exhausted.

Everyone was left confused when he yelled out seconds later. ''You idiot!''

Carne blinked and called out ''What is it?''

''He's asleep!''

''What?!'' Carne and Patty almost fell over at this. Zeff just chuckled while Miguel gave a bemused look.

''Well, at least it's over...''

* * *

Luffy woke up a while later, bewildered to find himself settled on a bed with his injuries addressed. His hat was also on a table nearby. Picking it up, the teen left the room and walked out, pausing when he saw Sanji nearby.

The cook blinked ''Oh, you're up...''

''What happened?''

''Well...'' He proceeded to explain how Gin took Krieg and led the pirates away, stating that he had spent too much time using the man's name to simply leave his side now. Though he wanted to tell Luffy that they would see each other on the Grand Line, a thought that made the teen grin.

''So...'' Luffy blinked. ''...wait, where's Miguel?''

''He's taking it easy too.'' Sanji returned. ''Last time I saw him, he was eating with some of the others. I think he said something about checking up on your supplies.''

''Oh good!'' He said brightly. ''So are you coming with us?''

''No.''

''Why not? Come on, it'll be great!''

The blond gave an exasperated sigh ''Listen, I appreciate it, really...but this is important. I will go to the Grand Line, to accomplish my dream but not before the old geezer acknowledges my skills.''

''What's your dream?'' Luffy cocked his head.

''Have your ever heard of the All Blue?'' Sanji asked in return, earning a quizzical look in return. ''Are you kidding me? It's a paradise for us chefs! See...''

As Sanji regaled him with details about the mythical ocean and Luffy listened with interest, both were left oblivious to the presence of Zeff, who heard every word.

* * *

A while later, the two headed to eat but Sanji was surprised to see that there were no chairs at all. Something wasn't adding up...

He was distracted upon seeing some of the cooks taste his soup. Patty's brow furrowed ''...Who made this?''

''I did. Pretty good, right?'' Sanji half-smiled.

''This is a load of slop!'' Patty proceeded to push the plate away.

''What?!''

He wasn't the only one as all the cooks were either spitting the food out, grimacing at the taste or even practically throwing the plate or ladle...

''Ugh!''

''Disgusting!''

''This is the nastiest thing I've ever had!''

''Is there something wrong with your taste buds?!'' Sanji demanded angrily.

''Oi, oi, enough...'' Zeff cut in as he proceeded to taste the soup. ''...remember, we don't waste food here.''

For a moment, it seemed like he would be the one to calm the waters but he just swallowed the mouthful before smashing the plate. ''Not that any of you are wrong, this is awful. Are you trying to put me out of business, Sanji?!''

''What was that?'' The blond's eyes narrowed. ''How is my soup any different than yours?!''

''You've got some nerve! You're a hundred years too early to ever compare your work to mine!''

Sanji grit his teeth and stormed off. Luffy cocked his head and tasted the soup ''I don't get it, this is really good!''

''We know.'' Carne assured, leaving him confused.

''Sanji's skill as a chef are unquestionable.'' Zeff stated. ''We felt that we had to do this.''

''He wouldn't leave otherwise.'' Patty added.

''I think you know by now, brat...'' Zeff continued. ''...but he actually does want to travel, he's just too hard headed to admit it. Would you take him with you?''

''...No.''

''What?!'' Several voices cried.

''Hold on! At least think about it, I mean you asked him all those times!'' Patty pointed out.

Zeff frowned ''Is he not good enough for you?''

''It's not like that!'' Luffy seemed offended by the suggestion. ''But I don't want to force him, he needs to decide to come on his own terms.''

''...I see...''

* * *

Little did they realize, that Sanji had overheard the whole exchange.

''...Damn shitheads...''

''That's some family you've got there.''

Sanji blinked at the voice, turning back to see Miguel watching with a bemused look. He snorted ''I don't know if I'd call them that...the idiots couldn't see any way besides this?''

''Well from what you told us, it was obvious that it would take some drastic measures to make you move.''

''...Fair point.''

''So I guess that means you're good to join the crew?''

''Yeah, go ahead and tell your-I mean _our_ captain. I need to sort out a few things.''

''Got it.''

* * *

Luffy was delighted at the news, the three of them were on the Baratie's deck with the cooks watching nearby. ''You're really coming!''

''Yeah...'' Sanji walked over to the two. ''...it's about time I get started on my dream. So I'll be the cook on the ship of the future Pirate King.'' He allowed himself a smirk as the teen cheered.

''...Although, I'm sorry you all had to resort to that bad acting.'' The blond added, leaving everyone besides Miguel surprised.

The wizard looked amused ''You could have just let them believed that it worked.''

''Sorry but it was so bad that I couldn't stomach it.'' Sanji shrugged back.

''It's your fault anyway! Everything with you has to be a fight, Sanji.'' Patty huffed.

''Just get going.'' Zeff said gruffly.

''Yeah...take care.''

After a few moments of silence, his mentor spoke ''Sanji, take care, all right?''

The blond stopped in his tracks at the words and looked over at the people he had grown up with for years. He wouldn't admit it earlier but Miguel was right in a way, they were like his family. Sanji found himself thinking back on the times he spent in the Baratie, all his mistakes, all his success, every bit was a special memory for him.

He bowed deeply ''Chef Zeff! Thank you, thank you so much for everything! I'll never forget all you've done!''

Zeff began to smile as the cooks teared up, happy but also sad to see him leave. They had their spats, but Sanji was one of their own. There was no denying that they would miss him, even if they wouldn't admit it. Soon, they all began to call out their own farewells to the blond as the now group of three made to leave. Each of them had their own dream in mind and they were sure to work and make it happen.

However, the priority at the moment was to catch up to the others and find Nami.

* * *

 _And we're done._

 _Well, I hope this was good. Personally, I like the Baratie arc, thanks in a big part to Zeff. He's a pretty cool character, even more now that I know how deep the bond between him and Sanji actually was. You know, because of the Whole Cake Island Arc and all._

 _Anyway, next time we're starting up the Arlong Park arc. Thanks for sticking with this story and I hope you keep it._


	9. Chapter 9

_Whoa, this story is getting a good response, all things considered. Thanks a bunch for reading. I hope you keep it up. Here we go!_

* * *

After leaving the Baratie, Luffy, Miguel and Sanji were on their way to meet up with their friends on the Conomi Islands and find Nami...

''I see...so that's what you were all talking about.'' Sanji said after they filled him in. ''It really does seem like she's in trouble.'' He gained a determined look. ''No matter what trouble she's in, I'll certainly help her. I won't forgive anyone who hurts a lady!''

''Sure sounds like you're chivalrous.'' Miguel remarked.

''Oh, you haven't seen anything. I'm just stating a fact. This is just a rule as old as dinosaurs. Men have to treat women with the utmost of respect.''

''Is this Arlong guy tough?'' Luffy wondered.

''Well, judging by what Johnny and Yosaku said, it seems so.'' Miguel returned.

''He does have the highest bounty in the East Blue.'' Sanji pointed out.

''True. Say, what are fishmen like? You think they look like this?'' Luffy held up a drawing on a paper he had been doodling on, leaving his companions stunned at the rather poor illustration.

''You're kidding, right? Obviously not!'' Sanji recoiled, disturbed by the thought. One glance told him that Miguel felt the same.

''He's right, Luffy. They're...'' The wizard paused, looking thoughtful. ''...I'm not sure how to put it. Fishmen are merfolk who can adapt to living on land, but they're most powerful in the ocean. Physically, they sort of resemble humans but they're generally stronger.''

''Now that's more like it. You really are knowleadgable, huh?'' Sanji mused. ''Anything else you can tell us?''

''Well...from what I've seen, they have this unique fighting style. It works by taking control of the water in the area, let's just say it's really effective.''

Luffy cocked his head ''Wait, you've seen it?''

Miguel blinked ''Oh, I met a fishman a long time ago. He's a friend of our family. That's why I know what I do about the species.''

''Makes sense.'' Sanji nodded. ''That friend wouldn't be part of Arlong's bunch, right?''

''No way.'' Miguel replied at once. ''Going by Arlong's reputation, I know he'd never agree to work for the guy.''

Luffy felt a measure of relief in that statement as he had a sinking suspicion that they could wind up having to face Arlong after all. And he did not want to imagine what it would be like if Miguel was wrong, but going by the faith in his answer, that fishman sounded all right. Either way, he was going to make sure they could get Nami back.

* * *

Zoro and the others hadn't been sure where to start but after breaking off to search around the island, they had come across a boy who was cursing the witch of Cocoyashi Village. Questioning him revealed that the 'witch' in question was actually Nami, who had stopped him from seeking revenge on Arlong. Though Usopp had rightfully scolded him on that choice, they learned that the boys as hardly the first to want revenge on Arlong and his pirates, who had been in control of the island for years. He had also informed them that Nami was part of Arlong's crew.

''You need to be careful, Zoro-aniki. We can't have you getting lost now.'' Yosaku stated as they kept walking, having just had to drag Zoro with them.

''I wasn't lost!'' He retorted.

''I'm just saying! I remember when we had to make sure you stuck with us...''

''Can it, Yosaku. It's not my fault you guys kept going off on your own so don't blame me!''

''Hey!''

Usopp blinked ''What're you talking about?''

''Nothing for you to worry about. Yosaku's just being annoying, I was thinking...I wasn't sure at first but it looks like Miguel really had the right idea about Nami.'' Zoro told his companions as they watched the boy leave.

''How come, Aniki? She's one of Arlong's crew members!'' Johnny reminded.

''Think about it, what would've happened if Nami hadn't been there?''

Now that really made them understand, as the answer was clear. Johnny frowned thoughtfully ''I get it...from all the rumors about this guy, he would have killed the kid for sure.''

''That's not even mentioning how she hates pirates. Why the hell is she a part of one?'' Zoro pointed out.

''True...'' Usopp trailed off. ''...it was mean and downright crude but Nami saved his life. I don't see why she'd bother if she was as bad as he made her out to be. Let's see if we can find her at that village, it's close, right?''

As it turned out, he was. The boy had actually just been wandering around Cocoyashi when they spotted him. And in good time as well...

A man in a dark red outfit with a number of scars on his face noticed them then, raising an eye. ''I haven't seen any of you before. It's rare that we get any travelers here.''

''I think we know why...'' Usopp was distracted when he noticed the rifle on the man's far left. ''...hey, you're better off hiding that!''

The man hesitated ''I can't just...''

''Listen to him, we saw a whole lot of weapons tossed out in the forest.'' Yosaku cut in, remembering something the boy had mentioned. ''It's because of Arlong, right? Well, keeping that is only going to make things worse.''

Johnny firmly agreed with his partner ''Don't be stubborn, a rifle isn't going to help you against someone like Arlong!''

''You're just risking your life for no reason that way.'' Usopp added.

''...Fine.'' The man grunted. ''But you should all hide, I heard Arlong's coming.''

* * *

Luffy's group was drawing closer to their destination and Sanji had taken some time to prepare lunch.

Luffy grinned ''So good!''

Miguel hummed in agreement and Sanji smiled, it was always nice to see people appreciate one's hard work. ''Well...''

The sound of water splashing loudly behind made him blink and look to the source, to find a giant cow like sea monster swimming towards their boat. Sanji tilted his head ''Huh, it's...a sea cow? I wonder if it was attracted because of the food...''

This served to irritate Luffy, who punched the cow. ''No way! It's not getting anything!''

Miguel cringed ''You didn't have to do that...''

''Yeah, come on, we can share.'' Sanji stated, taking a piece of food and holding it up. ''Here...''

Both were startled when the cow suddenly swooped down and lunged at Sanji, who responded by kicking it back. His eye twitched ''Sharing is one thing but I'm not food, you stupid cow!''

The sea monster recoiled at this, staring at them fearfully. Miguel understood that it had seen them food but he was starting to feel bad for it. ''Guys, that's a little too much...''

''It doesn't deserve pity.'' Sanji stated, picking up on his tone. ''Come on, help tie the rope on this thing so it can tow us ahead.''

* * *

Arlong was a huge grey shark fishman with black hair and a brown hat, a yellow shirt and brown pants with sandals. He walked about the village with the swagger and confidence of someone who believed themselves above all others...

Zoro, Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku were watching from a safe distance, the first frowned ''So that's Arlong, huh?''

''He looks really, really tough...'' Yosaku gulped.

''Let's just watch, we should try figure out what's going on.'' Usopp told them.

''So you're saying the rumors were false?'' He asked Genzo.

''Yeah.'' He lied. ''It's probably started because of the weapons in the forest, have you looked at the place lately?''

''Well I've heard from some of my men, so I suppose you have a point.'' Arlong stated. ''Just keep in mind that no one is to keep weapons, it's a practice that breeds rebellious thoughts and it's just something that I can't allow.''

''This island is the foundation of my growing Arlong Empire after all.'' The fishman went on, oblivious to the many eyes on him. ''So I refuse to let anything ruin that, make sure you stay in line and we won't have problems. Most importantly, don't forget about the payments.''

Arlong left while Genzo grit his teeth and glared at his back, wishing there was something he could do about him. Zoro decided to go and ask the man for more details and the others followed him.

* * *

Sanji's idea had been a big help as the sea cow had really helped them get to the destination much faster. The trio had wasted no time in beginning their search for their wayward comrades...

''I can't wait to see Nami-san! She's over 90% of the reason I joined this crew!'' Sanji exclaimed.

''Your own dream is less than 10%?'' Miguel wondered.

''Semantics, semantics.'' He waved a dismissing hand. ''Anyway, do we have any idea how we go from here?''

Miguel was about to reply that they didn't but then he saw that Luffy was already walking off ''Luffy, where are you going?''

''There's something I wanna see!''

''Hey, this isn't the time for sight seeing!'' Sanji chided.

''It's not that, I found something weird when the cow was still dragging us.'' The teen cocked his head. ''So I'll...''

''Hold it.'' Miguel spared him a pointed look, having a bad feeling. ''Do you even have a clue where you're going? I seem to remember you getting lost when you took off on your own.''

''But it's over there!'' Luffy gestured to their left but all they could see was an empty area.

''...There's your answer.'' Sanji deadpanned. ''Look, can't this wait? We need to go and find Nami-san and those guys. What did you even see anyway?''

''That's the weird part...''

After getting him some details, Miguel flew around the area with Meteor and he suddenly got a very clear image as to what just had Luffy so stumped.

It had actually been a village, but one could barely identify it as such as all the homes were an absolute wreck, even the paths were barely passable. It was almost as if a calamity had torn through the place and this was all what was left as a result...

''What in the...?'' Sanji looked dumbfounded as he and Luffy were guided there. ''What hit this place?''

''I'd say we're walking into some real complicated situation here...'' Miguel trailed off.

''Sure looks like it.'' The cook concurred.

Luffy had a thought ''You think that Arlong guy did this?''

Sanji considered that ''Maybe...''

Just as they were about to leave, they heard a new voice. ''Nyuu, this is unusual...''

The three pirates were found by a pink octopus fishman with spiky white hair in a striped shirt and beige pants. ''...I don't think I've seen any of you before.''

''We're just taking a walk.'' Luffy said casually.

''Oh...well, I guess that's fine. But who are you guys?''

''Just travelers.'' Sanji decided to keep things simple for now. ''We're looking to catch up with our friends and leave, don't mind us.''

''All right then, nyuu...''

Miguel made to follow the two as they walked away but he suddenly paused when his eyes fell on the red sun crest on the fishman's forehead. _'That mark...'_

''Miguel, come on!''

Luffy's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he quickened his pace, oblivious to the fishman who watching them curiously. Unbeknownst to the three, they had been among the few humans he had seen in a long while that hadn't been frightened of him.

''What's wrong?'' The captain prompted upon seeing his friend's distracted look.

''Ah...it's nothing...'' Miguel trailed off. His thoughts were centered on a distant memory that just came to mind.

He knew he had seen that mark before. Only where?

* * *

While the man in the dark red clothes, who they learned was called Genzo took them to his house, the group was startled as the sound of slamming doors reached them.

''What's going on?'' Yosaku wondered.

''I think the witch is back...'' Genzo trailed off.

''Witch?''

''Yeah, I heard one of you kids mention Nami before. She was actually raised here. So you're another one of the crew she stole from...'' The man exhaled. ''...well, you're better off leaving, you're almost definitely not getting that money back.''

''That's not really our concern right now.'' Usopp said, to his surprise. ''Sure, we can look into having her give back the stuff she took from us but there's more to it. One of our friends picked up on something strange and well, let's just say he made a deal with her. We want to hear what she has to say.''

''I...see.'' Genzo looked surprised. ''I admit, I didn't expect that. But why go through the trouble? It can't be this important..right?''

''It's complicated but let's just say it's the captain's orders.'' Zoro returned. ''We're just getting some info together and waiting for him. For future reference though, can you tell us where her home is?''

* * *

 _Okay, I'll stop here._

 _I hope it was good. Sorry, it's short but I need to set things up. As much as I enjoy the canon stuff, I also enjoy making my own spin on things. They'll be meeting up next chapter and hearing the truth from Nami herself like they intended all along. I've just finished sorting out most of my plans for this arc, so I'll be able to work on it faster now. Till next time._


	10. Chapter 10

Instead of waiting for the others longer, Johnny and Yosaku decided to go and see if they could find them instead. It had taken a while but the two were able to come across their friends and-to some surprise-Sanji, who had also been trying to find their group.

''So this is Nami-san's hometown...?'' Sanji looked around curiously as they entered Cocoyashi. ''Is it always so quiet?''

''I don't think so...they're probably still worried because of Arlong.'' Yosaku replied.

''Arlong? What does he have to do with this place?''

''We don't have all the details yet, we wanted to wait for you guys to show up before we go after Nami-aneki. Apparently, she went back to her house a little while back.''

Usopp perked up at the sight of the group approaching them ''There you are!'' He blinked at the sight of Sanji. ''Oh, so Luffy did manage to get you on the crew after all? Somehow I'm not too surprised.''

''Yeah well, I never thought I'd find someone so pushy and annoying. I guess I just caved in the end.''

''Hey!'' Luffy frowned at the two, Sanji was grinning while Usopp snickered.

''You really can't complain if it's true.'' Zoro couldn't help but put in.

Seeing him about to speak up, Miguel gave a bemused look ''I don't think you're going to win this, Luffy. Anyway, how about we focus on what we came here for?''

''Oh yeah!'' That got the captain's attention. ''So you're sure Nami's here?''

''It looks that way.'' Zoro offered. ''There's something you need to hear first though...''

''Okay, this really doesn't add up...'' Miguel said after they explained things. ''...if Nami was the kind of person she was made out to be, we might not have come here now.''

''Exactly.'' Sanji agreed. ''We're obviously missing a lot of information. I'd say Zoro's got it right, someone like the supposed 'witch' wouldn't bother to save that kid.''

''Then let's go find her!'' Luffy exclaimed. ''She lives in the house by the grove, right? Come on!''

* * *

Around the same time...

Nami was talking to a woman with blue hair and dark eyes, telling her a bit about her last few days.

''Eh? You mean they're actually coming here?'' Her older sister, Nojiko asked.

''I don't know. Keeping those secrets was just bound to make them worry...agreeing was the only way I could see to have Miguel let me leave.'' Nami admitted. Trouble was, now that she thought it over, she could see what Miguel was getting at. Luffy certainly was the sort stubborn enough to come after her.

''But they...''

''I know! I told them I would but...would it make a difference?''

''Well...'' Nojiko hesitated. ''...I think you might be right, if they do come, they'll be expecting an explanation. Just tell them the whole story and ask them to wait, you're this close. I think they'll understand.''

''I hope so.''

* * *

The orange haired girl took a walk around to clear her head, wishing she knew what to do. A part of her knew that she took a risk in agreeing to Miguel's deal but at the same time, she was perfectly aware that the crew was looking to know more about her. All she had been hiding would likely have just motivated the wizard into making sure she couldn't leave until he got more out of her.

She was so close to ending things, to reaching her freedom. But at the same time, she was afraid that she could put them at risk. Luffy and the others were strong but Arlong was a monster...as much as she hated working for him, she couldn't see any other way...

Could there be one?

''Oi!'' The call snapped her out of her thoughts, making her look back to the source of voice, stiffening as she recognized Luffy. ''There you are, Nami!''

Her eyes widened. They actually...came...''Why...?''

''We wanted to find you!''

''Nami-swan!'' Sanji swooned. ''Remember me? I'm the crew's cook now! I'm delighted to be serving you!''

''Cool it, Casanova!'' Zoro ignored the cook's glare. ''We've been through this, you wanted to know more about her. So do we, we're here to get the full truth.''

''Oh, right! Gotcha.'' He looked back at the navigator.

''You really did come...'' Nami uttered.

''Yup!'' Luffy grinned.

''So we'll be having you follow on our deal now.'' Miguel stated.

''...Follow me.''

* * *

She led them back into the house and introduced them to Nojiko before everyone was settled. The elder sister crossed her arms ''So you came all the way to get Nami?''

''Nami's the only one I'll accept as the crew's navigator.'' Luffy said firmly.

The girl in question stared at him, feeling touched at the declaration. He really trusted her that much? Even with the way things went down?

''I don't like letting things end the way they did. Can you blame us for trying to find answers?'' Usopp added.

''Miguel came across people who mentioned Arlong being around these parts before. That's why they avoided this area. How long was this going on?'' Zoro wondered.

''8 years.'' Nojiko replied. ''And I'm not surprised they would...they know how dangerous he is.''

''I don't get it. He gets to stay here for this long just like that? Why didn't the marines do anything?'' Johnny asked.

''I'm not sure if any tried. Anyone who stood in his way was made a lesson for the others.''

Sanji tilted his head ''How did all this start in the first place?''

''Well...'' Nami let out a breath, knowing she owed them the truth. ''...Arlong and his crew came here years ago...''

And she began explaining-with Nojiko's help-finally giving them the answers they wanted. Nami and Nojiko were adopted by a former marine called Bell-mere, who had found them in a war torn country. Even then, Nami's gift for cartography was evident. In fact she had been dreaming to make a map of the world ever since she was a child. They were by no means wealthy, but they were content. Sure, there was some trouble but in general, they were a close family. Bell-mere had been an amazing mother who was supportive of her children's endeavors and she had been looking forward to seeing Nami's map.

One day, the Arlong pirates arrived. Arlong and his crew had taken over the area smoothly, taking down any opposition. The shark fishman forced a terrible deal, people had to pay a fine for him to spare their lives. 100,000 berri for adults and 50,000 for children. Genzo, who had been close to Bell-mere and the girls, knew that the woman couldn't afford it so he ran to warn her.

There had been a fight that day regarding being tired of their family's financial situation, so she had run off. Nojiko, who calmed things down between them, had gone after her. This seemed to be an unexpected good thing as neither had been at the house when Arlong reached it. Bell-mere had tried and failed to hurt Arlong, who attacked her in return. Deciding to let it slide in favor of money, he reiterated the deal. As it turned out, Bell-mere had 100,000 berri. This led Genzo to suggest that she pays her fine while he and the others got the girls off the island. Bell-mere refused though, deciding to use the money for Nami and Nojiko instead. The girls ran out to her, pleading with her not to risk her life for them but it was already said. As they feared, Arlong killed her.

To make matters worse, he had noticed some of Nami's maps nearby and this prompted him to take the girl with them. Genzo had tried to stop him but Arlong hurt him terribly for it. Not wanting to see anyone else die, Nami pleaded with them to stop. She retuned a while later as one of Arlong's crew. While people were furious with her for it, the truth was that she did it make a deal. If she gave Arlong 100,000,000 berri, he would leave her home in peace and they would all be free.

Needless to say, her wayward comrades were floored at the story.

''You've been working for that murderer all this time?!'' Usopp's jaw dropped.

''How...'' Miguel couldn't imagine it, having to stomach orders from people who put them through all this. And all because she wanted to save her home...

Nojiko seemed to guess what he was trying to say ''It's the only way she could see. And you're really close, aren't you?''

''Yeah...I've got the money. Now I can really end this.'' Nami declared.

''That lowly bastard doesn't deserve a single berri!'' Sanji snarled.

''I couldn't agree more.'' Miguel frowned.

Zoro's eyes narrowed ''You sure he's going to keep his word?''

''He will...money's the only thing he never breaks a deal with.''

''Nami-aneki, we're sorry we doubted you!'' Johnny cried.

''Yeah, that's so brave...'' Yosaku trailed off.

''Ah...well, I can't say I blame you. I did take off all of a sudden...''

''I don't like this.'' Luffy declared.

''Luffy, please. I've worked so hard...I can't just drop it all now...'' Nami trailed off.

''...Fine. But we're not going anywhere until this is over.'' The captain said firmly. ''If things go south, we're stepping in.''

This was exactly what the girls feared ''But they're...''

''They're so strong, you can't beat them!'' Nojiko finished for her.

''Beg to differ.'' Zoro countered.

''Yeah! Like hell I'm going to walk away from this now.'' Sanji agreed.

''No one wants to walk away from this.'' Miguel added. ''I told you we wouldn't just leave you in this. We'll let you work things your way, Nami but worse comes to worse, it'll be our turn. One way or another, we'll help you.''

''...Right.'' She managed, she was grateful beyond words for the show of support. This left her all the more determined to see things through. No one would die here, not after all those years.

* * *

Everyone waited at the house while Nami went to tell Arlong that the money was ready. Usopp glanced out the window ''I hope this works...''

''If those bastards keep tormenting Nami-san even after this, I'll make sure they pay.'' Sanji declared.

''Don't be ridiculous. You can't defeat them.'' Nojiko returned. ''Nami's been doing all this to make sure that no one else suffers because of Arlong, don't just go throwing your lives away!''

''With all due respect, how are you so sure we'll fail? You haven't seen us fight, we're not just going to throw our lives away after hearing that story. We can handle ourselves just fine.''

''Exactly. We won't die.'' Luffy agreed at once. ''We're strong too, the fishmen don't scare me.''

''What Nami's doing is nothing short of incredible.'' Miguel remarked. ''I'm not leaving a friend in such a mess alone.''

''Well said.'' Sanji grinned. ''Nami-san's worth fighting for.''

''Yeah, if Arlong hurts Nami, I'll beat him up!'' Luffy declared.

''I think we've made our minds up then.'' Zoro stated, eliciting nods from the other three.

Unfortunately, not everyone was on board with this. Johnny, Yosaku and Usopp were getting unnerved, because they could agree on that Arlong wasn't so trustworthy as to follow that deal. But they hoped that was wrong as it looked like fighting with his crew would be the consequence. As one might expected, that possibility frightened them.

''Would it come to that though?'' Usopp cocked his head. ''I mean, Nami has to know more about him than we do now, she's worked with him for years. Maybe Arlong really can follow the deal.''

''Y-yeah, besides why are you guys so ready to fight? Nami-aneki and Nojiko are right! Those fishmen are too strong...'' Yosaku started.

''You won't know until you try.'' Luffy said firmly. ''I'm not leaving things this way.''

''Don't get me wrong. I want to help her too, but Nami sounds so sure that I can't help but wonder.'' Usopp admitted. True, he was afraid but at the same time, after learning what they did...he just couldn't walk away so easily.

''Wouldn't you be? It's the only hope she's had for years.'' Nojiko pointed out. ''Just lay low for now, Arlong's likely coming back with her. Let's try to avoid complicating things further. It won't be long.''

''Right.''

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, a complication happened to be taking place on a different part of the island.

It came in the form of Marine Captain Nezumi, who headed with a squad to Cocoyashi. Nami, who happened to see them on her way back, discreetly followed them.

What on earth were they doing here now? Could they be here to deal with Arlong?

Genzo, who happened to see the marines too, quickly realized their destination and went after them. He arrived at the sisters' home in time to hear Nojiko cry out.

''Stop it! What're you doing?''

''Don't get in the way, little girl.'' Nezumi leered. ''I am here to arrest Nami the thief for harboring illegal money. Naturally, I'll confiscating all this at once.''

''Don't you dare!'' Nojiko snapped, stepping in their way.

''No, you stay out of our way!''

Nami made her way to them ''Don't you dare hurt my sister!''

Nezumi's eyes narrowed ''So you're Nami, well that makes this easier. Where's the money?''

''You're not getting a single berri! What the hell are you playing at anyway? I stole that money from pirates.''

''There's no proof of such a thing. I'm working with what I see.'' He returned.

''Working with...?! What work? We've been under siege for years and no one's done anything to help us. Now of all times, you show up? Talk about convenient! You're just here to fill your damn pockets.'' The girl snapped.

''Watch you mouth!''

Nojiko frowned ''Why should she? It's all true. You haven't done anything to help anyone but yourself!''

''Marines really are useless...'' Nami hissed. ''...you're the worst of the worst to do this now. That money was never for me!''

''I don't care what you say, we're taking that money!'' The captain fired a shot from his rifle. Next thing Nami knew, she was pushed aside and the bullet hit Nojiko in the arm instead.

''Nojiko!''

Genzo grit his teeth. That little bastard...how low could people get? ''How dare you?!'' He ran in front of the girls.

''You're looking to interfere too? Fine...''

Nezumi didn't get to finish as he was kicked hard a second later by a newly arrived Sanji.

''You lousy jackass! Not only do you hurt a lady, you actually sink so low as to cowtow for money? What the hell kind of justice is that?!''

The rest of the crew had also chosen to act then, Luffy and Zoro pushed the soilders back while Usopp knocked a two down with a couple of well placed shots and Miguel helped Nojiko up.

''Here, this should do it.'' He cast healing magic on her arm.

Nojiko looked surprised for a moment before her expression turned into one of gratitude ''Thank you...''

''A-a wizard?! There's more of you freaks around? Why didn't you just die in the war along with all your ilk?'' Nezumi spluttered.

''What...'' Usopp started.

''Oi, what's your problem?'' Luffy demanded.

''Why would anyone even...?'' Nojiko was bewildered.

''...The marines here really are pathetic if they sink to this level...'' Zoro muttered.

Miguel looked unfazed but his tone was cold as he spoke ''Nami's right, the marines are proving to be the worst again. For defenders of justice, you lot have got more holes in character than a cheese grater. What exactly makes you think you have the right to do this?''

''Yeah, that money was gathered to save our home!'' Genzo exclaimed, surprising everyone sans Nojiko.

Usopp raised an eye ''What? I thought...''

Nami wound up voicing the question he had in mind ''Gen-san, you...you knew?''

''We've all known.'' He admitted. ''We just didn't want to make you feel beholden to this place, or worse, that you have to bear the weight of our lives. That's why we kept quiet. You've done so much...and you've fought for so long. That's also why I won't let those bastards come and trample on your efforts!''

''Gen-san...''

''Big words.'' Nezumi scoffed. ''But there's nothing you can do here, get them!''

The soilders charged on command, but they quickly found the hard way, that they were out of their league.

The captain spluttered as the last of his men was defeated ''W-what...?''

Genzo looked surprised ''Whoa...''

''They deserve it!'' Luffy huffed before looking at Nojiko. ''You said we had to wait until Nami's good to go but there wasn't anything there about those jerks.''

The girl chuckled ''Fair enough. You won't hear any complaints from me.''

Usopp blinked and looked around ''...Guys, where's Nami?''

It was then that they realized he had a point, the orange haired girl was gone.

* * *

In her growing fury, Nami had headed right back to Arlong Park to demand answers. She got some but it was nothing she liked...

''I sent him to take the money?'' Arlong looked amused. ''Now that's quite an accusation, but can you prove anything?''

''Don't joke around!'' Nami snapped. ''Of all times for him to show up, it was...'' She was forcefully stopped as he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer.

''I told you, I don't know what you're talking about.'' He said casually. ''But either way, even if the money's taken, you'll just have to work to get some more won't you? After all, you've worked _so_ hard for your precious home. Though I imagine it would be much easier for you now.''

Nami glowered at him as she was released, not remembering when she ever hated someone so much. She didn't want to believe it but her friends were right to doubt the deal, Arlong really had no intention of letting her go. It looked more and more like he was going to make her stay on his crew for as long as he wanted. She had nothing besides money to make him settle on going through

She cursed the fishman again, how could things go so wrong? What could she do now?

* * *

Around the same time...

Nezumi had called on reinforcements which happened to be nearby, still not giving up on the money. Luffy and the others had been more than a match for the oncoming marines but the wily captain took advantage of their distraction and snuck into the tangerine grove. He was able to use the chaos of the battle to take some of the money and began stealthily escaping.

He didn't get far though, thanks to Usopp, who had spotted him retreating and readily sniped at his head without preamble. This gave Genzo enough time to tackle the man and knock him out.

Things weren't about to end like that though.

Genzo and Nojiko had agreed that enough was enough. If Arlong was going to take things this way then they agreed that there was one path remaining for them. Deciding that the people of their home had to know, the first gathered them all and explained the truth.

''You mean...?'' A man started.

''Yeah, I bet that damn fishman has been lying all along. He never meant to go through with the deal.'' Genzo scowled.

As he expected, they were just as upset as he felt.

''That bastard!''

''How could he?''

''That lousy fishman lied to our Nami!''

''We've been waiting for all those years. It hasn't been easy but as long as Nami could keep going, as she kept fighting for us, we could take whatever they threw our way. But Arlong took advantage of her good intentions for years...'' Genzo's eyes hardened. ''...It's time to make our stand. Are you all with me?''

''YEAH!'' Many voices cried at once.

This was the scene Nami arrived to find. Feeling her blood run cold as some of her worst fears seemed to be coming true motivated her to act.

''Everyone, stop!''

''Nami...'' Nako the doctor started.

''It's okay, really!'' The girl said. She was lying through her teeth but that didn't matter. She couldn't let them go through with this. ''I'll find some other way to bring our freedom. You don't have to do this!''

''Nami, stop.'' Nojiko's face was set. ''We've decided and nothing's going to change that.''

''No!'' The girl held out a dagger. ''I...I won't let you go!''

Genzo grabbed the weapon, not even flinching as the blade cut his hand. ''It should hurt, right? I don't feel a thing though...because I know it's been nothing compared to what you endured for our sakes for those long years. Nami, you should leave this place. Go with your friends.''

''W-what?''

''Yeah, it looks like they're good people. This is decided. Don't shackle yourself, Nami. Follow your dream'' Nojiko added.

''Stop talking like that!'' The orange haired girl cried. ''I won't let you...you're all going to die!''

''Yeah...'' Genzo started. ''...enough is enough. We've taken all what we can. Let's go everyone, we may not win but we'll give all those bastards hell.''

The crowd gave a cheer and headed off. Nami watched them, feeling numb with the myriad of feelings rushing through her. She didn't register the tears running down her face because of that. Horror at how everything was falling apart, shock that it all turned out this way and fear for the people she had grown up with.

She knew it all came back to one person though. His laughter and sneering face echoed in her mind, making her grit her teeth in fury. She knew she had never despised anything as she had Arlong. Just looking at his symbol on her arm made her sick. Without quite knowing it, she grabbed the dagger and stabbed her arm, not even feeling any pain as nothing compared to the pain pressing on her very soul now. She cursed the fishman's name and stabbed again.

A hand grabbed hers before she could stab a third time. Nami slowly looked up to find it was Luffy's.

''...What do you want?''

''Remember what we said before?'' He returned, surprising her. ''We're here for you.''

The girl's eyes widened at this before suddenly noticing Zoro, Miguel, Sanji and Usopp watching nearby. Then it came back to her, they had kept the agreement the whole time. The only reason they had waited was for her sake, they had faith in her words. But now with things falling apart, it was their turn.

''Luffy...everyone...'' Nami managed at last. ''...help me.''

''Of course...'' Luffy put his hat on her head. The girl started as she remembered how important it was to him, leaving her all the more moved. ''...that's what friends do.'' He took a few steps forward and cried out. ''HE'S GONNA PAY!''

Miguel stopped near her ''All you had to do is ask. Just wait, Nami, today Arlong Park will be razed to the ground.''

Luffy started walking ''Let's go!''

''Right!'' His crew responded and immediately followed him, all set to take matters into their own hands.

* * *

Johnny and Yosaku, who had been too scared to face the fishmen at first, simply couldn't take the situation lying down. This prompted them to head to Arlong Park first, heading the villagers off and making sure none of them would enter.

If they couldn't bear not to act now, they knew what their friends would do. So all they had to do was await their arrival.

''There we go...'' The first grinned at the sight of the approaching Straw Hat pirates. ''...take a good look. These five are the ones who will save everyone.''

Nojiko's eyes widened at the sight of the group, seeing Luffy make his way through. ''Move.''

The two bounty hunters gladly followed the command and the rubber teen surprised most by breaking the door with a single punch.

This made the fishmen who heard the noise suddenly alert.

''What's going on?''

Luffy glared at them ''Which one of you is Arlong?''

''Ah?'' One of the fishmen leered at him.

'' _I'm_ Arlong.'' The shark fishman declared. ''Who wants to know?''

''I'm Luffy, a pirate.''

He quirked a brow ''What's a pirate want with me?''

The answer came in the form of a punch that blindsided him. Luffy snapped ''That's for making my navigator cry!''

* * *

 _Well, I'll cut this one right here._

 _How was it? We're done setting the stage so to speak, now next comes the fight. Hope you like my version of this arc. I just felt like I had to add my own twist to things and I've got to admit, I enjoyed sorting through its plot._

 _I know that Luffy doesn't care about the crew's past generally but remember that they came to hear everything from Nami and agreed that it was for the best._

 _Thanks to everyone who reads my work and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	11. Chapter 11

''Arlong-san!'' Several fishmen cried out as their leader slammed into the wall. The people of Cocoyashi stared on in shock, not expecting Luffy to be that strong.

Needless to say, this served to galvanise the enemies into action. ''You bastards!'' One cried as they charged towards the Straw Hats.

In seconds, many of them were sent flying as the gravity around them was decreased greatly, leaving them to flail in shock. Zoro took out the ones coming his way with some well placed sword strikes while Sanji knocked all the ones on his end with fierce kicks. Usopp was able to snipe some without missing a hit while Luffy mowed any who floated his way down.

Arlong pulled himself up, looking on in shock and anger as his men fell ''What're you all doing? They're just some pathetic humans!''

His men seemed to share the sentiment as they tried harder despite their predicament. The ones who remained gathered some water over their palms and made to attack. Miguel raised a hand and calmly increased the gravity on them tenfold, making them hit the ground hard and quickly knocking them out.

''Amazing...!''

''They took so many fishmen down just like that!'' Genzo exclaimed.

Johnny grinned ''We told you, if anyone can stop Arlong and his crew, it'd be them!''

''Don't get cocky, damn you!'' Arlong snapped. ''How dare you lowlives attack us, you'll pay!''

''And we'll be glad to make sure it happens, Arlong-san. You don't need to interfere.'' One of his three officers, Kuroobi, a ray fishman assured.

''Yeah, we're more than enough for these guys!'' Hatchan, the octopus fishman Luffy's group had encountered earlier declared.

''They won't get away!'' His last officer Chew, a smelt-whiting fishman cried.

Arlong considered that ''...Fine, I'll let you take care of this. Finish them off.''

''Gladly!''

''That's some cocky attitude you got.'' Sanji's eyes narrowed.

Kuroobi deftly blocked his path ''It isn't cockiness if you know how to back it up and we most certainly can. We'll teach you fools the inferiority of your species.''

''Definitely!'' Hatchan came face to face with Zoro.

''Oh yeah? You'll be eating those words soon enough.''

Chew and the remaining fishmen decided to turn their attention to the people of Cocoyashi. In the process, the officer had noticed Usopp, who seemed relieved.

''What're you relaxing over there for? We're taking you down too!'' His eyes widened when Usopp blasted him and ran when their eyes met, making him follow with a cry of ''Get back here!''

No one had much time to process this as the rest of the fishmen were closing in on the crowd.

''We can kill them now, Shioyaki-san!'' One declared.

''Yeah...'' Said salmon fishman leered at their intended targets. ''...you'll regret the day you rebelled against us, you fools.''

But they were then repelled by a sharp gust of wind that made them start and look up as Miguel descended in their path. ''You'll have to deal with me first.''

Arlong harrumphed as he stared down at Luffy ''You're all pathetic, struggling pointlessly and throwing your lives away. You don't stand a chance!''

''We'll see about that!'' He retorted defiantly.

* * *

''That traitor Nami must have sent you here.'' Kuroobi stated, crossing his arms. ''I knew we couldn't trust her.''

''Traitor? Since when was she ever on your side?!'' Sanji demanded, thinking that they were one to talk about betrayal in the first place. ''Don't you dare badmouth Nami-san!''

''Hmph, chivalry from a pirate just sounds ridiculous. You're all weaklings.''

''Yeah, we won't even need to do a thing.'' Hachi crowed smugly. ''Come, Mohmoo!''

He whistled and waited, leaving the crowd increasingly unnerved. ''What's wrong?'' Yosaku asked.

''They're summoning that monster...!''

In moments, waves ripped across the water before said monster made its appearance. As it turned out, the monster happened none other than...

''Oi, that's...!'' Luffy stared on.

''The sea cow from before.'' Sanji finished, seeming just as surprised.

''I wonder if it remembers us...Oi!'' Luffy called to Mohmoo, who froze when his eyes landed on them. ''What's wrong with it?''

''You forgot already?'' The blond deadpanned.

''It's scared stiff...'' Miguel noted. He almost felt bad for the cow. ''...no wonder...''

Nojiko looked confused at the odd behavior, moreso as it became clear that Mohmoo wasn't going to fight. ''What's going on?''

''Oi, Mohmoo, what's wrong? Don't just stand there!'' Hachi exclaimed.

''Don't bother, you're just wasting time.'' Sanji scoffed, preparing to kick Mohmoo again. ''We beat it once, we can do it again.''

''You what?!''

''No way!''

Arlong grit his teeth at the news but he didn't have time to act on it as he was already squaring off against Luffy, tanking his oncoming round of assaults. Hatchan and Zoro were in the middle of a sword fight, with the former utilizing six blades against Zoro's one. Sanji and Kuroobi were fighting up close. A few of the remaining fishmen tried to get around to attack the villagers but they were forced to stop when Miguel's Frost Shield blocked their path. With all the ongoing battles, very few notices Mohmoo retreating far away.

Shioyaki ground his teeth ''You wanna play hero? Fine, you bastard, we'll finish you off first. This won't take long.''

Miguel requipped his earth sword ''We'll see about that.''

* * *

Hatchan raised up his swords again ''We'll win for sure! There's no way humans can win against our species!''

''Oh, please.'' Zoro scoffed. ''For all how you keep spinning that line, we're still kicking.''

''Not for long, Shikai Zero: Takohachi Black!'' Hatchan proceeded to squirt ink at Zoro, who quickly got out of the way and raised his weapon but then the fishman moved. ''Takohachi Number Nine!'' He jumped up to a pillar and stayed suck to it because of his tentacles. ''Hah, how do you like that? This is only possible due to my nature as an octopus fishman.''

His opponent remained unimpressed though as he spoke up ''Johnny, Yosaku, lend me your blades!''

''You got it!'' The two returned as they complied. Zoro quickly grabbed them and took a stance.

Hatchan made to attack ''It doesn't matter how many you have, you won't beat my Rokutoryu. I'm the second best swordsman in all of Fishman Island!'' He jumped and aimed all his swords at Zoro. ''Takotsubo no Kamae!''

''Toro Nagashi!'' Zoro shocked him by blocking with two of his swords and twisting sharply to attack with the third one, leaving the fishman to cry out in pain. He kept up the attack though, forcing Hatchan back as he attempted to defend.

''Amazing...he's actually beating this guy with those three swords!'' One of the villagers cried.

''Aniki's got this, that fishman doesn't stand a chance!'' Yosaku grinned.

Hatchan grit his teeth as he steadied himself ''Takoashi Kiken!''

Zoro's eyes narrowed as the fishman began swinging his swords wildly and charged at him. He was left with little choice to fend off or tank the strikes to the best of his ability. As far as opponents went, Hatchan was a skilled, versatile opponent but he was also arrogant like the rest of his crew.

Zoro figured they would just have to learn the hard way. He reflected on his vow at the Baratie for a moment. No matter what he faced, he was not falling here.

Hatchan was beginning to tire ''H-how are you still...? Take this!''

Zoro fended the oncoming two swords off and slashed Hatchan's side before taking the stance for his signature technique.

''Oni-Giri!''

Alarmed, Hatchan tried to hold up his swords and defend but it was no use. The oncoming strikes hit the mark and he yelled out.

''N-no way...'' He managed, blood beginning to drip from his wounds. ''...don't think I'll fall here. Your style won't stand up to mine. Rokutoryu Ogi: Rokuto no Waltz!''

The fishman began to charge at him, spinning all six blades. Zoro prepared to attack ''You just don't get it...''

The green haired swordsman began to spin with his weapons, creating a tornado of blades that clashed with Hatchan's strike. It quickly became evident that the former won as Hatchan was sent flying, with wounds clearly visible and swords breaking.

''H-how could three swords beat six...?'' He managed as he hit the ground.

''...my swords have far more weight and meaning than yours, that's why I won.''

* * *

Around the same time...

Elsewhere, Chew was standing before a downed Usopp, disgust clear on his face. ''No wonder he just hit me and ran off. What a weakling!''

Unbeknownst to him, the sniper was just pretending to be defeated, having used his Ketchup Star to replace blood on his person. He was just now waiting for Chew to leave.

'Lucky he didn't notice...' Usopp thought. '...I want to help Nami too but I can't stand up to those guys. They're monsters...'

Even as he lay there though, he came to think.

Usopp couldn't help but recall Luffy's anger when he punched Arlong...

 _'That's for making my navigator cry!'_

Zoro's determination to hold firm even against the possiblity of death in his duel against Mihawk...

 _'Death would be better than to give up!''_

Miguel's loyalty to them, which was evident in his wish to help Nami...

 _'I have no intention of leaving a friend in such a mess alone.'_

Sanji's chivalrous nature motivating him to keep going...

 _'If those bastards keep tormenting Nami-san, I'm make sure they pay!'_

The thought made him cringe. He had a feeling the crew would understood if he didn't fight now but could he live with that?

He remembered Kaya and his former crew and cursed himself 'They'd be so ashamed of me if they knew about this...dammit, no more! I can't be a pretend pirate anymore, that's why I set out, isn't it?! Well, I'm doing my part too!'

''Stop right there, you stupid fish!''

Chew's eyes widened, seeing Usopp stand and aim his slingshot ''You're alive?!''

''Of course I am! No way, you can beat Captain Usopp. You haven't seen anything yet!'' Usopp retorted before making to leave.

''What the-?! You talk so tough but then you run off again? Like hell you're getting away this time!'' Chew growled as he chased him.

Usopp's expression remained firm though, knowing just what he had to do. He would fight like his friends and give it his all.

''Flame Star!''

Chew howled as the flames burned him, leaving him all the more incensed as he kept chasing with renewed vigor. ''I'll kill you, Hundred Shot Water Gun!''

Usopp didn't miss the numerous blasts of water flying at him and it made him run faster towards the forest near the rice paddies. Chew grinned ''Do you even see where we are, you coward? I have plenty of water to work with here!'' Then as if to prove the point, he fired more water blasts at the area where he assumed Usopp was, only to be irked to find that nothing happened. He kept trying to find the sniper but Usopp made sure to distract him by firing many pellets from a number of locations to confuse him.

''Dammit, where are you!? This is just a waste of time, you're all going to pay for defying Arlong-san!''

Usopp ignored him, however, getting his next projectile ready. 'Guys, I know you're all fighting, you can count on me to do my part!'

Chew blinked as he happened to see the next projectile, which happened to be a sake bottle. ''Now you're just desperate. Spare me the tricks and come out. If you beg, I might actually consider letting you live.''

Then the next pellet came and shattered it, soaking him in the alcohol. ''What the...?''

''Newsflash, you half-fish freak!'' Usopp called. ''Sake burns, Flame Star!''

His oncoming projectile was far more damaging than the one he used before, leaving his opponent crying out in pain as he rolled on the ground with the flames burning on. He headed to the rice paddies to douse the flames but Usopp would have none of it.

''Usopp Hammer!'' He hit the fishman repeatedly with a mallet on the head. After a few moments, he stopped to see that Chew was out cold, currently a bloody mess.

''I...did it. ALL RIGHT! I WON! CAPTAIN USOPP TRIUMPHS!'' Usopp cheered, falling to his knees as he needed to catch some breath. He wondered how the rest of the crew fared.

* * *

Arlong fended off one of Luffy's attacks, just in time to hear a voice call out his name.

''Oh, Nami.'' His opponent paused in surprise at the appearance of the navigator. ''What're you doing here?''

''I'm here to kill you.''

Arlong laughed ''Kill me? How many times have you tried now? Let's face it, you don't have any reason to want me dead, look at all what I've given you.'' Nami merely glared back, her opinion clear at that statement. ''Tell you what, I'll give you a different deal. I'll forget any of this ever happened. You and the villagers will be allowed to live, but those five pirates die. What do you say?''

Nami stiffened at this, having not expected such a thing. She might have taken a different opinion in other circumstances but now she knew there was only a single answer.

Looking at the villagers, she spoke up ''Everyone...I'm sorry, would you all die with me?''

They were quick to respond positively, even some letting out cheers to demonstrate the same determination she felt.

Arlong's expression darkened ''...So be it then.''

* * *

Sanji was facing problems, due to the fact that Kuroobi had been able to distract him and get them both in the water. Things had unfortunately turned in the ray fishman's favor due to field advantage.

He smirked as he blocked one of the blond's kicks ''You see? Human strength here is halved but this is where we fishman are at our strongest. So much for that earlier show of chivalry, all it's going to do is lead faster to your death!''

He punctuated the statement with a fast punch to Sanji's side before following it up with a kick to the chin ''Kachiage Haisoku!''

Kuroobi swam after Sanji, who was sent reeling back after the kick. The cook managed to right himself in time however to attack once more but Kuroobi was able to swim away.

''I told you, it's useless. Ka Kakato Otoshi!'' He hit back with the hell of his foot, leaving to almost hit the wall.

The cook cursed, knowing he had to get out of here. Just as he started swimming away though, Kuroobi came right after him.

''More futile resistance, I see. You really all just came marching for us to finish you off, none of you can beat our crew. You can't save anyone! Wanto Giri!''

Sanji's ascent was forcefully halted as Kuroobi's arm-fin slammed his back, leaving the fishman free to grab him and follow up with some punches. He smirked as Sanji almost appeared limp for a few moments.

''It's about time you humans learned your place, and that's beneath us!''

Sanji glared back, his ire reignited as he pressed on regardless. As if he was going to fall here after all that happened!

It was just as Kuroobi managed to trap him with his ponytail that the cook happened to notice the spaces in the fishman's neck, which gave him an idea.

He quickly bit down on one of the said areas, making his opponent cry uot in pain and release him. Sanji captialized on the chance by kicking the fishman back before he swam to the surface and got away from the water.

As he expected, Kuroobi quickly came after him, looking angry. ''What, you think that getting back here will change anything? As if!'' He charged to attack the cook again and they clashed but Sanji was more than able to match his attacks. ''I admit, you're actually above average for human but you're still weak, all you're doing is throwing your life away for one girl. It's pathetic!''

''Shut it, you bastard! As if someone like you would understand!'' Sanji fired back, stunning him for a moment with a kick to the gut before pushing him back with a following attack.

''I'm ending this here.'' Kuroobi took a stance. ''It's time for the essence of my martial arts...''

He never got to really attack though as Sanji was already running at him. ''You say we're definitely losing? Well, let's prove that wrong. Collier!'' He kicked the fishman into the concrete. ''Epaule!'' Next one was to the shoulder. ''Cotolette!'' A kick to the ribs. ''Selle!'' And another to the back. ''Poitrine!'' One to the chest and next a sweeping kick that made Kuroobi crash down. ''Gigot!''

Kuroobi tried to fight back but it was too late as Sanji was just finishing another attack, delievering a flurry of very fast kicks that sent him flying, and crashing hard outside Arlong park.

''Mouton Shot!''

Sanji allowed himself a smirk as he glimpsed his fallen opponent. ''Now that's what I'm talking about.''

* * *

The group of fishman led by Shioyaki was split into two, one was fighting Miguel and the other was trying to destroy the shield he had in front of the villagers.

A few of them charged with weapons at the ready. Miguel stopped the first attack with his sword's sheath before using it to strike his neck and knock him out. A second attacker fell to his blade. Three more came from his right, all raising spears and charging. Miguel spread his arms out, keeping both sword and sheath leveled as he met them head on and attacked, almost disappearing for a moment.

''Flicker Strike.'' The three fell down, all appearing to have been cut down as their wounds became visible.

Another one tried to sneak up on him but Miguel, who had already heard him charging, took another stance with him putting the sheath at his side while lowering his sword counter attacking. ''Tempest Arc.''

The wide slash took the fishman by surprise and knocked him down. Miguel went on the offense this time, knocking another enemy down with a second Tempest Arc before striking one with a series of fast attacks that made it seem as if he landed many blows at once. ''Thousand Raid.''

''Wow...'' Many of the observers were shocked by what they were using.

''He's not even using magic and he's still more than a match for them...'' Nojiko trailed off, looking amazed.

''And he's making it look easy.'' Nako added, dumbfounded.

''Yeah, Miguel-aniki's great!'' Johnny grinned.

''Way to go!'' The new voice made them look over in surprise to find Usopp.

''Usopp-aniki?!''

The sniper grinned back ''Don't just gawk, you guys. No need to worry, I came out on top.''

Johnny, Nami and Yosaku smiled at the news before they all turned to the ongoing fight. Sanji watched on, with some amusement. He hadn't gotten to see the wizard fight much since he had been too tired to give it his all after healing Zoro back at the Baratie, but he could see that he certainly was strong. ''He's doing pretty good.''

''Don't start celebrating yet!'' Shioyaki growled, firing some blasts of water with the second group. ''As if we'd lose like this.''

Genzo scowled ''Those lousy scumbags! They know the kid's attention is going to be divided since he's still trying to look out for us.''

The fishman laughed as he happened to overhear this ''Well, we're not only dealing with a single human, he's got a bleeding heart to boot. Then again it just takes a worthless human to care for another one. Let's take care of this.''

Seeing some of them trying to jump over the shield, Miguel wasted no time in blocking them off before powering up his spell. But this also left him vulnerable to Shioyaki's following water bullets.

''See? What'd I tell ya, get him!''

Some of the enemies split off to take this chance, more than eager to take the wizard down. While at first he'd had little choice but to defend, Miguel was able to cast Meteor to counterstrike, flying away from them. Those who hadn't seen him cast before where left bewildered as to what just happened.

''Miguel-aniki, don't worry about us and keep fighting!'' Yosaku called. He could appreciate the wizard's kindness but he didn't want him to get hurt for it.

Nojiko shared his sentiment ''Yeah, you'd just be playing into their hands otherwise!''

''That doesn't matter.'' Miguel returned, looking at the fishmen. ''You all keep acting like you're so much above us-like we're worthless if we don't obey you-but we're all people. You have no right to treat others like this...to look down on anyone's life.''

He couldn't stand that kind of outlook. It was the same thing that led to the war on his home. Many wizards had died because of it all. He'd lost friends and even his own family was almost destroyed as a result. Needless to say, watching and listening to Arlong's crew now was aggravating.

Usopp couldn't help but note how different their usually easy-going friend appeared now. But considering what he learned of his circumstances, he could understand why the issue seemed deep-seated. The sniper guessed he himself would feel similarly if their roles were reversed.

Shioyaki sneered ''That's just another reason why you're a weakling. Let's see if you can keep up this self-righteous attitude after we beat you!''

They charged once again, with some fishmen firing up water blasts. Miguel flew up again with Meteor and met the ones who tried to come after him, taking them down with a few quick and precise sword strikes. He leveled his blade and a bronze spell-circle flashed,

''Terra Force!'' The concrete shook under some of the fishmen's feet, leaving them to stumble as it began to crack open, releasing blasts of magic that sent them flying. A few managed to recover and push back to fire back some water blasts.

Miguel proceeded to cast another spell ''Jet Ballista!'' Another spell-circle appeared before some pieces of the ground flew and slammed the attackers, tearing through the water blasts with ease and making them crash hard.

Arlong ignored the cheers from the villagers, looking in on shock while Luffy and the others watched with growing satisfaction ''Just like that?! How is it possible?''

Shioyaki snarled as he charged ''This isn't over! Everyone, pull yourselves together. We can definitely win if we use that move.''

The remaining fighters gave cries of confirmation as they began to head closer to the ocean while Shioyaki attacked Miguel. As they kept trading blows, Miguel realized the fishman was trying to distract him. He held up the sheath to block the fishman's oncoming punch before slashing him twice. His suspicions were proven true as the fishmen were apparently gathering water for one big attack. Once they saw that Miguel was coming their way, they released the water sphere they had gathered.

''Nothing you can do now, your little tricks won't work!'' One of the fishman cried as they gathered some more water for another assault.

Miguel remained focused however as he started casting another spell. He quickly waved his hands in an intricate figure before leveling them on top of each other so that only his top and middle fingers were spread. Seven magic seals formed before Miguel before flying up and linking, forming a shape that resembled a constellation.

''Grand Chariot!''

The seals lit up and released blasts of magic that rained down on the enemies and Arlong Park. In moments, all of the fishmen fell and at least a good chunk of the building was decimated.

Johnny's jaw dropped ''W-whoa...''

Zoro let out a low whistle and smirked, especially enjoying this as he took in Arlong's shock. Sanji grinned upon picking up on the same.

Nami looked amazed, though she couldn't help but remember something Miguel told her earlier.

 _'Today, Arlong Park will be razed to the ground.'_

It was then that she understood that he not only meant that literally, but he could also make sure it would happen. On the other end, Usopp and Yosaku were cheering ''That was great!''

''Sure was!'' Luffy chirped while Arlong growled.

One thing was for sure, the situation may have started out bleak but there was no denying that the tide of battle had shifted to the side of the Straw Hat Pirates.

* * *

 _And let's stop here._

 _I hope this was good. It really didn't feel like I should put all the fights in one chapter so here we are. Next time will of course be the rest of the battle and wrapping up this arc, I hope you liked what I had in store._

 _I thought it over and making an OC that I might never actually use again seemed pointless, especially with how One Piece seems to have a lot of characters in abundance. So yeah, Shioyaki's actually a canon character. This will be explained some more soon but from Miguel's standpoint, the Arlong Pirates are acting a lot like the marines did to the people of Elysia so it's an especially sore point for him. As for his family, the war happens to be the reason that the remaining members of the Arcadia are Miguel, his aunt and uncle. I will be explaining some more down the line but let's just say the three of them have been doing a lot for the relief effort._

 _Anyway, thanks for reading and till next time._


	12. Chapter 12

_beenjammin: Thanks! Considering the circumstances though, Miguel won't be getting his bounty right away. You'll see why here. I'm still on the fence about the Elysia arc though but it's a bit of a long way off so no answers yet._

 _RyofuHosen: Glad you like it. As I mentioned, I'm still not sure about the Elysia arc's timing so it depends on how I can plan things. Thanks for the idea though, appreciate it, but let's just say I have a couple of other plot points that would likely cause a problem with implementing that. Nothing's really decided yet though._

* * *

Arlong ground his teeth as the realization that all his members were beaten sank in. ''Why you damn...this is too much! You barge in and beat my brothers?! You'll pay for this!''

''Shut up!'' Luffy clearly could care less. ''It's your own fault anyway.''

Growling, the fishman kicked him before making to bite his arm but Luffy jumped back in time. Only Arlong pressed forward, not willing to give up. He even easily bit through a rock easily in a second.

''You're just wasting time! You don't stand a chance against me.'' Arlong declared.

''Yeah, right! You're supposed to so tough because you crushed a rock? Who cares?'' Luffy retorted.

''You really are an insolent brat! Fishmen will always be superior to humans. The differences are obvious as night and day!''

''Really?'' The rubber human tilted his head. ''Is it the nose?'' He had to dodge a punch at this. ''The gills, right? Oh wait, the webbing!''

''...Okay, now he's just missing the point on purpose.'' Sanji deadpanned while Usopp groaned.

Arlong had enough ''It's our very race, you fool! Humans are beneath us and they don't have anything better than we do. Let's take you for an example, what can you do besides stretch? Heck, you're not only reckless and foolhardy but an anchor too-you crew must be sick of dealing with someone so useless.''

''It's true that there are things I can't do. I can't use swords or cast magic. I don't know how to navigate or cook. I can't even lie.'' Luffy admitted. ''But that's just why I have my crew by my side. We help each other out through everything-even I can't do that stuff, I can do things they can't too. So it's just fine!''

Aforementioned crew exchanged glances with each other and smiled before turning back to the battle. Needless to say, they completely approved of his words.

''Oh? So what can you do then?'' Arlong sneered.

Luffy didn't even think about the answer ''I can kick your ass, Gum Gum Pistol!''

The fast attack hit Arlong's face, smashing him into a wall. It soon became clear that it also knocked his teeth out. But the shark fishman just got up as if it were nothing. Luffy stared in confusion as Arlong's teeth were soon replaced by a new set.

Arlong chuckled ''Surprised? I'm a shark fishman! This is only natural.'' As if to prove the point, he took the other set out and yet new teeth grew again. He held both teeth sets like castanets in his hands and lunged at Luffy ''Tooth Gum!''

Luffy endeavored to get out of the way as the fishman kept up the offense. Just when it looked like he would get a hit, Luffy held up one of the unconscious fishmen in front of him, making him Arlong's new target.

The shark fishman backed off in surprise which quickly turned to anger ''Why you...!'' Luffy cried out as Arlong finally managed to strike his side. As the fishman was about to press his advantage, he was surprised to see his opponent push through the pain enough to punch him and knock his teeth out.

Trying to shake the impact off, Arlong was dumbfounded to see that Luffy had grabbed the set he just hit before stuffing it in his mouth.

He wasn't the only one.

''What's he doing?'' Johnny wondered while many of the observers sweatdropped.

Sanji groaned while Miguel sighed and Zoro's eye twitched in annoyance ''This isn't the time for games, Luffy!''

Arlong certainly shared that sentiment ''Are you making fun of me? You'll regret that!''

Both attacked at once, each striking the other and sending them back. Luffy stretched to try and bite Arlong ''How do you like that?''

''Don't be so proud. You don't have the jaw strength to make that work.'' Arlong scoffed, taking advantage to grab Luffy's neck and pull him up. He grinned as he glanced at the sea and began to adjust his aim. Luffy, who clearly knew what he was up to, immediately wrapped his legs around a pillar and pulled back, headbutting Arlong to make him let go.

Usopp let out a sigh of relief ''That's good...if he got stuck in the water...''

''That doesn't matter.'' Arlong dove in the ocean himself, leaving everyone to watch warily.

''Oh no, they're a lot stronger in water...'' Yosaku frowned.

''Oh hey, there's a shark over here?'' Luffy wondered, noticing the fin approaching in the water.

''Focus, Luffy, that's obviously Arlong!'' Nami called.

''Shark on Darts!'' Arlong shot out of the water at great speed like a torpedo. Luffy immediately stepped out of his path and Arlong continued until he broke the wall nearby but he got up as if it were nothing.

''No matter what you do, I'm not going down. I'm not losing to someone like you!'' Luffy declared.

''That's my line, you bastard! I'm going to kill every last one of you for daring to get in my way. You're going to pay for what you did to my brothers!'' Arlong snapped.

''Get off your high-horse, you shitty fishman! It's all your fault to begin with, you had it coming!'' Sanji returned.

''I could care less what humans think of me. I'm going to show all humans their real worth and make everyone pay for their terrible treatment of fishmen! It's only what you scum deserve!''

''You might have faced discrimination but that doesn't justify your actions or behavior.'' Miguel stated. ''You can't paint all humans with the same brush.''

''I refuse to believe that!'' Arlong said angrily. ''You're all the same, what you say is meaningless. You have no idea what it was like!''

Miguel spoke after a few moments ''...Do they make you feel like dirt-like you shouldn't exist?'' Arlong's eyes widened at this, hearing him continue. ''Like the very fact that you're alive now is something you should be grateful that they allowed you to live-no matter what it was like?''

The Straw Hats stared at him in surprise. They all noted his tone, how sad and weary it appeared then. Arlong's reaction proved that he was effectively spot on. He talked as if he personally knew all about it. Did that mean...?

Miguel gave a bitter smile for a moment as he looked at Arlong ''Well, am I close?''

''...You are.''

This all had Genzo thinking ''That marine jackass freaked out when the kid started healing Nojiko...and the way he's acting...it's obviously far from the first time.''

''Yeah, he seems used to it...'' The blue haired girl trailed off.

''But why?'' Yosaku frowned.

''Wizards have had dealings with fishman in the past...so I've heard a few things.'' Arlong mused, he'd forgotten in all his anger. ''You would know then-there's more fools like that in the world. They fear us for our differences just like they fear your people for magic. I'm just giving back what they deserve.''

''Wait, so wizards actually get that sort of crap treatment...but they're just born with magic. What the hell's wrong with that?'' Sanji wondered.

Miguel spared him a grateful look ''Not everyone sees it that way.''

Luffy scowled, completely agreeing with his cook. It wasn't bad that they were wizards, he felt for Miguel to have to experience such a thing. It was stupid, in his opinion. Their friend was a caring person, he didn't deserve that. No one did.

Zoro grimaced, wondering if this mindset might actually be a factor relating to the war.

''That's just wrong...'' Nami trailed off, thinking along similar lines. She remembered her mother, who had been a former marine. Nami knew for a fact that Bell-mere would have royally schooled anyone who treated people like that in front of her. And the government actually got away with treating them like this...it was completely unfair.

''Miguel's right. Even if you've suffered, there has to be a better way.'' Luffy stated.

''There isn't!'' Arlong snarled. ''I'll turn the whole world into my empire to keep humans below us where they should be and no one's going to stop me!''

''You're wrong, Gum Gum Whip!''

''Tooth Gum!''

They clashed once again, both trading and receiving blows. Arlong was pushed back as a result, then he took out a massive saw blade from behind a wall nearby.

''It's the Kiribachi...'' Nami tensed, knowing that he only took that out when he was completely serious.

''That thing's huge!'' Usopp cringed.

''And that look in his eyes...'' Sanji observed. ''...it's just like when a Sea King snaps. He's lost it.''

Arlong swiped with the blade, forcing Luffy to dodge but the strength of the weapon was clear as it practically cut anything in its way like paper. The fishman kept up attacking, going for a Shark Twister but Luffy once again dodged. He kicked Luffy back and the teen responded by grabbing and knocking him into the air. As their scuffle continued, the two eventually got to a certain area of Arlong Park...

* * *

Luffy blinked at the unfamiliar room which was filled with mounds of paper ''Those are all maps?''

''That's right.'' Arlong came into view. ''This was the room where I had Nami draw me her maps over the last eight years. You humans may be trash but she's above you, you don't know her talent. It's a waste with you, only I can use her.''

''Use?!'' Luffy glared. ''What do you take Nami for?''

''She's a valuable tool, a good asset. If she kept doing this for me, I'd give her all she wanted. It's a win-win situation.''

''Yeah, right! Nami's my navigator!'' Luffy then noticed something else. A pen that was covered in blood...

This made him decide his next course of action at once.

* * *

Everyone watched carefully as they could only wonder what was going on inside. In a a minute, the glass on one window broke before many papers flew out.

''What's going on?''

Zoro picked up one of the papers that landed nearby. He picked one up ''That's...''

''...a map?'' Miguel blinked. Realization struck both the swordsmen then before they looked at Nami, who was staring on with wide eyes.

''So then...''

''Yeah...'' Nojiko glared at Arlong's figure. ''...he's been making her draw those maps for years. I hope Luffy trashes that entire place.''

''So do I, damn bastard!'' Sanji growled.

Nami silently thanked Luffy. She was proud to learn cartography and came to enjoy it but being forced to give those to Arlong was like a little knife to the heart. She hated every moment of that-watching this made her feel like a huge weight was off her chest.

* * *

''Stop that!'' Arlong growled as Luffy continued destroying the room, punching and kicking the walls he could reach. His anger grew as he watched the maps and charts fly out as a result. ''Do you have any idea how important those are?!''

''Like I care!'' Luffy snapped back. ''This room is making Nami suffer, so I'll get rid of it!''

''Why you...!'' The shark fishman took a step forward and attack, missing how Luffy raised his foot high in the air. ''Shark on Darts!''

Luffy gave a pained cry as Arlong struck his side but he refused to back down. He grit his teeth and kept pushing forward, landing his next attack then.

''Gomu Gomu no Ono!''

Luffy's foot struck home then, destroying the entire area with the increased speed and knocking Arlong out. Consequently, everything began to fall apart around them...

* * *

''Hey, Luffy-aniki's still in there!'' Johnny cried out, alarmed out at the sight of all the rubble.

Sanji cursed ''Then we'll just...''

He stopped as the teen pulled himself out from beneath the ruins, determined as ever. ''Nami! You're always going to be one of our own!''

The girl was in tears at this, moved beyond words. She could see Arlong's form behind him and to say she was relieved that her tormentor defeated was an understatement. With the myriad of emotions welling up within her, there was nothing much she could say besides ''...Yeah...''

''Arlong Park has fallen!'' A villager cried.

Cheers arose as the fact sank in, with everyone delighted to see that their oppressors were taken care of. The eight year long reign of Arlong and his crew had finally come to an end.

Some of the villagers proceeded to pick Luffy and Usopp up, throwing them into the air, with both pirates laughing along with them. Their joy was contagious and there were smiles all around.

Unfortunately, something came that almost ruined the celebration. It was Nezumi, who somehow managed to keep his trademark leer ''So Arlong has fallen? No matter, the marines will be confiscating all the money here.''

As you might expect, no one was going to take that well.

''What?!''

''Like hell!''

''Yeah, you guys haven't done a damn thing!''

''Shut it!'' He snapped. ''Or I'll arrest you all!''

''Go ahead and try!'' Genzo retorted defiantly.

''It took you guys long enough to actually do something.'' Nojiko glared at the man. ''This just proves how much of a failure you are!''

''Seriously, you're completely shameless!'' Usopp looked at him with disgust.

''I said shut up!'' Nezumi aimed his revolver at Miguel, to some surprise. ''Most of the freaks are done for-this'll end it!''

''Is that right?'' Miguel's eyes narrowed. A second later, the revolver was surrounded by purple energy that lifted it out of the marine's hands before Miguel reduced it to scrap with gravity magic, leaving Nezumi to recoil. ''You're supposed to be the defenders of justice? Do something to show for it then. The people here have been suffering for years-our friend's been fighting to save them. Just what exactly makes you think you can get away with this now?''

Nezumi grit his teeth ''You think you can talk to me like that...?''

''Actually...'' Zoro and Sanji stepped up before the former continued. ''...Miguel's just telling it how it is.''

''But seeing as the civil approach is wasted on shitheads like you...'' Sanji kicked the marine. ''...we'll just do it this way.''

''Allow me, boys.'' Nami interjected, glaring daggers at Nezumi with her staff at the ready. Not only did he and his subordinates work with Arlong, they tried to take all the money she earned and he was even treating their friend like he dirt. Enough was enough.

''Y-you can't do this!'' Nezumi managed to say. ''I'll report you to HQ, you're all going to prison!''

''Oh, can it!'' Nami hit him with her staff a few times. ''You've got no leg to stand on, think we'll just let you walk all over us? You're the one who's going to pay for your actions, you creep!'' She punctuated the statement with another hit, this time to his head, leaving him to collapse.

''Good job, Nami-san!'' Sanji grinned.

Zoro looked bemused, he wasn't about to deny that he enjoyed watching that ''Feel better?''

''Much better.'' She returned. Beating up that corrupt captain felt really good-he had it coming big time.

''All right, we'll take care of him later. For now, we've got a celebration to start. Come on!'' Genzo smiled.

* * *

It didn't take long to spread the word and soon everyone was celebrating Arlong's defeat. It just went to show much the people were looking forward for their freedom and highlighted how someone should have taken the fishmen out a long time ago. The festivities were spread out all over the island with the food and drink easily found for all and those who hadn't been there to see the battle soon all heard about the Straw Hats. They didn't care that they were pirates, it was enough that they had saved them.

Doctor Nako had made a point of examining on the Straw Hats and patching them up to the best of his ability, also gladly giving them some necessary medical supplies in the process.

''I'm amazed that kid's just able to go up and about like all what Arlong did to him was nothing...'' He mused.

''You mean Luffy? Ah, nothing keeps him down for long.'' Usopp remarked.

''He sure looked like the type.'' The doctor nodded before looking at Zoro. ''How did you come out of a fight with Hawk Eye Mihawk with such little injuries?''

''Who said they were little?''

Nako was confused ''Well, it only made sense. I mean, it's not like you were healed by ma...'' He blinked and looked at Miguel, who was sleeping on a bed nearby. ''...oh.''

''Yeah, I'll be fine. Can you just make sure he will be?'' Zoro requested.

''That's what I'm here for.'' Nako returned readily.

It wasn't long before the Straw Hats were able to join the celebrations as well. Luffy made a point of ensuring that he could try out every type of food he came across while Sanji partied and flirted with the women. Usopp also enjoyed the festivities, taking time to regale everyone with his stories. Zoro merely relaxed and took some time to drink up, occasionally telling the story about their battle when asked. Miguel joined his friends after a while and they were all able to partake in the celebration of their victory together.

* * *

Two days later...

Miguel took some time to look around the island, particularly liking how the situation improved so much. Genzo and a few of the villagers had made it their mission to handle Nezumi and his crew, tying them up before heading to a nearby marine station to explain everything. Many felt really good to hear that they were getting what was coming to them. Miguel hadn't known what to expect when he confronted Nami about her secrets but he thought that things turned out very well.

As he paused near a hill overlooking the ocean, the sound of footsteps made him turn around to find Nami.

She blinked, just as surprised to see him ''What're you doing here?''

''That's what I want to ask you-I figured you'd be partying with them.'' Miguel admitted.

''I was but...let's just say there were things I needed to take care of. There's a lot on my mind.''

''I'm the same. For you, it's pretty natural after all what happened.''

''Yeah...I'm just really glad that I could-I didn't think this could be possible before. That I could be free this way.'' Nami admitted.

Miguel smiled ''Well, you more than deserve it.''

She returned the smile ''Thanks...'' The two sat in silence for a few moments, merely taking in the view before she spoke. ''...I've been wondering about what you told Arlong...so people really thought of you that badly just because you had magic?''

''Yeah, what he's ignored is that there's a whole lot of sorts out there. Some may not be receptive to us for it but even then, there are plenty who do see it for what it is.''

''...Doesn't it bother you?''

''It used to but really, I just decided to not let it keep me down. I'm going remain true to myself and make the most of life. That's all.'' He returned.

''You're something else, you know that?'' Nami began to smile. It was honestly sad that people couldn't see him for who he was just because he had magic. She was honestly impressed; she didn't think she'd take it as well as he did.

''Ah, I just said the truth...'' Miguel trailed off. ''...all this just had me thinking back. There's this fishman...he's a friend of our family. We've gotten to meet him because of my parents. I haven't seen him since I was a kid so I can't remember his name now...he was kind. He's really strong and wise, he taught me a bunch of things.''

That was a surprise but considering what Arlong mentioned, she didn't find it too hard to believe. ''You're wondering if everything Arlong and his crew said and felt could have applied to him?''

Miguel nodded ''I know he never would've agreed to do what they did...'' He paused. ''...ah, sorry, you probably don't want to hear this now...''

''It's fine, it's fine.'' Nami waved it off. ''Hearing that, I don't blame you for reflecting. I probably would have too. It's nice to know for sure that there are good fishmen out there.''

''Hey, guys!'' The two started and turned around to find Luffy waving a hand. ''What're you doing? Come on, you're missing out on the fun!''

Nami grinned ''You heard the man. Let's get back to the party.''

Miguel smiled ''Right.''

* * *

When it was time for the Straw Hats to leave, the villagers of Cocoyashi gathered to see them off...

''Nami's not here...'' Usopp trailed off.

Zoro crossed his arms ''I wonder if she will want to come.''

''Don't say that! She has to!'' Sanji exclaimed. ''She's at least over 90% of the reason I set sail.''

They gave him odd looks at this. Luffy and Miguel were trying to see if she was at the port in the first place. Thus, they were the first to spot her as she came running.

''Guys, set sail!''

''?''

''Nami-san!'' Sanji beamed.

Luffy perked up ''Miguel, you heard her. Time to go!''

Nodding, the wizard set out to prepare, quickly getting the ship ready.

He was glad to see her too but Usopp was also confused ''Wait, just like that?'' Did she really want to leave this way?

''Hey, hold on! You can't leave without saying goodbye!'' Genzo called.

But Nami kept going, quickly making her way on board the Going Merry. Zoro quirked a brow, why was she rushing like this?

Things started to make sense when one of the villagers cried out ''Hey, my wallet's gone!''

Two others soon realized the same, this seemed to set off a domino effect of sorts as everyone realized that they had been robbed. Nami gave a mischevious grin as she held up the stolen items, making some of those present groan. Nojiko, on the other hand, was trying not to laugh at her sister's antics.

''You little thief!'' Genzo exclaimed. He couldn't be mad at her if he tried now, though. ''We'll miss you!''

Nami smiled warmly back and Nojiko called out ''You can do it! Make sure you come back, I want to see that map of yours one day.''

''You got it!'' She called back.

Usopp eyed the orange haired girl warily ''Should we be careful?'' Zoro didn't say anything but his expression proved that he agreed completely with the sniper.

Sanji just gave her a thumbs up while Luffy chuckled. Miguel shot her an amused look ''That's one heck of a way to leave an impression.''

Nami grinned back ''Well, what can I say? Something to remember me by.''

Luffy let out a hearty laugh ''All right, now we can keep going! Our goal's the Grand Line!''

''Right!''

* * *

 _And we're done._

 _What do you think? I hope this was good. I wanted to add my own flair to the story as following canon all the time is just plain boring._

 _Just to clarify, there are some who hate and fear wizards just like fishmen because they're so close-minded that they can't accept them. So Miguel knows exactly what he's talking about here, he's dealt with some after all. There were some who even believed that Elysia was going to join Dragon but it was made clear that it was only because they wanted to give the nation time to recover. You'll see more about wizards when I get further in the story, specifically of course the part with the Grand Line. Let's just say I have a few more surprises in store. Oh, before I forget; Luffy will get his bounty since the word spreads out fast about him beating Arlong. I'm having a bit of trouble choosing an epithet for Miguel (he's not getting his bounty for a while) I have one title in mind but I'm still trying to think of something that might work better._

 _Well, thanks for reading so far and I hope you keep going. I'd appreciate if you tell me how you think I'm doing so far. Till next time!_


	13. Chapter 13

_beenjammin0421: Thanks. Guess I'll take you up on that idea...the only working title I could really settle on was Spell Blade._

* * *

The Straw Hats were all gathered in the kitchen for breakfast, with Sanji distributing the food before joining them. Though he made a point of stopping to kick Luffy as he tried to steal food from the other plates.

''Don't take from that, there's more than enough. Just finish your share!''

Nami gave the rubber teen an annoyed look, making sure to bat his hand away when it strayed to her plate ''So first you try dipping into the storage whenever the mood strikes you and now this? Clearly, we're going to have keep a very sharp eye on our food.''

Usopp yelped as he wasn't that succesful, seeing Luffy devour a bit of his eggs ''You're just too greedy!''

''Actually, since that came up, thanks for that shield.'' Sanji told Miguel. ''I caught him trying to deal with it again this morning.''

''I figured...you want me to figure out another way to help when we get a refrigerator?'' Miguel asked.

''Please.'' The cook nodded, both were also able to stop Luffy's wandering hands. Miguel decided to see what would happen and so offered him some bacon.

''Thanks!'' Luffy happily took it up.

''That's all you're getting.'' Zoro deadpanned, also having kept his hands away from his own plate.

''Wha-Luffy, cut it out!'' Usopp cried after a little while, holding up his plate to keep Luffy from reaching it. The captain wasn't about to drop it though and they began to fight over it.

Some, like, Nami, Zoro and Miguel had finished and so cleaned up their plates. In Luffy and Usopp's little skirmish, Usopp's plate was sent flying into the air while the sniper pushed Luffy back. The teen's hand hit the stove, suddenly activating it and burning the food in the chaos, causing a burst of fire.

''That does it.'' Sanji proceeded to punish the captain, being well aware who started this. ''Usopp, help yourself to the food.''

''Thanks!'' The sniper returned before proceeding to get another plate. It was then that he noticed how Nami and Miguel, who were the closest to the stove, appeared shaken up. ''Ah, oops...that could've been bad, huh?''

''You think?!'' Nami snapped. ''Honestly, you're both idiots! You're just lucky we saw what happened in time!''

Usopp couldn't blame her for being irritated, seeing as he would have been the same if he was in her place. ''Sorry...''

Zoro noted something odd about Miguel's expression ''What's wrong?''

''Ah...'' The wizard shook himself. ''...it just...startled me. I guess...I haven't really made any progress after all...''

''What do you mean?''

Miguel blinked, not realizing he'd said that out loud before letting out a breath ''It's just...I've been afraid of fire for years.''

The admission caught them by surprise before Luffy asked the question they all had in mind ''Why?''

''Well...'' Miguel bit his lip as he thought back on the reason, the image of great flames that consumed all in their path flashing in his mind. That had been among, if not actually the worst day of his life. ''...there was this battle we were forced into and...and it turned out really badly. I don't know how it started but...it destroyed so much-even people...''

The thing was, they could tell by his tone just how bad the situation was. It was no wonder he'd carry some scars after an event like that.

''Wait, when we were training the other day and I asked about your swords...there was that one with the red hilt you really never seemed to use.'' Zoro recalled. ''Is that related?''

Miguel nodded ''It's a fire elemental sword. That was a gift from Master Yuan...he was trying to help me with the phobia and he wanted me to keep it if it ever came in handy. The thing is, I've never been able to use it. I've been trying to get over it but...really, I just don't freeze up around flames like I used to. What happened here just startled me...''

Usopp inwardly winced, feeling bad that he was part of the reason that brought this up ''Oh hey-I just thought of something fun to do with the gizmos I got together lately. We can make it into a game!''

Luffy perked up ''Really?'' The sniper wondered if he was also looking to brighten the mood because of what he did then. ''Okay, let's go see. You too, Miguel, it'll be fun!''

The latter gave a bemused look, not wanting anyone to walk around egg shells with him ''All right...''

* * *

A while later...

Miguel had just finished setting aside the new funds he'd planned to send to Elysia (including some treasure he got from Arlong Park) when he found Sanji standing before the tangerine trees Nami brought with her.

''Didn't you already water them?''

''Of course. This is different! Nami-swan entrusted me to protect her tangerines.'' The cook declared. ''Nami-swan, do you see my dedication?''

''Yes, it's very hard to miss.'' She replied from her seat, not even looking at him. Not that it really mattered as Sanji was clearly delighted.

''...Doesn't he realize when he's being played?'' Usopp muttered. ''Anyway, can't you just shield the trees like you did with our supplies, Miguel?''

''I offered but...well, you see the result.''

''Oh...figures.''

''Hey!'' They looked at Luffy, who was staring at the newspaper Nami was holding.

The girl raised an eye ''What's caught your eye? I didn't think you'd be much for reading.''

Luffy responded by grabbing the paper and flipping it, letting her see the next page.

''What?!'' She cried after a moment.

''What is it?'' Miguel asked.

''I got my first bounty!'' Luffy beamed, Usopp and Sanji ran over to see for themselves and indeed, the page Nami was holding displayed a picture of a wanted poster. It was a picture of a grinning Luffy, with his name and the price of 30 million berri.

Zoro walked over and grabbed it for a better look ''Huh...whaddya know...''

''How come I didn't get one?'' Sanji sulked.

''Maybe word got out about Luffy beating Arlong?'' Miguel offered, noting how their captain's bounty exceeded the shark fishman's now.

''True that...he's been a freaking menace for this long after all...''

''All right, I'm on this too!'' Usopp grinned, pointing at the back of his head on the corner of the picture.

''This is awesome!'' Luffy cheered. An amused Miguel congratulated him while Zoro cracked a smirk.

''Not bad, Captain, I think you might have the highest bounty in East Blue.''

''How are you guys so calm about this?'' Nami was the only one who couldn't see the upside here.

''What're you so down about? This is a big deal!'' Usopp returned.

''Yeah, this is bad. It'll just paint a target on our crew! We'll have people coming after us!''

''I say bring it on.'' Zoro declared.

''It's a job hazard of being a pirate, Nami.'' Miguel reminded. ''It would have happened sooner or later.''

''I'd prefer later...much, much later.'' She huffed, still annoyed. Why was she the only one who could see the problem here?

Luffy glanced at the poster's picture again before grinning ''Now I'm even more excited to go, let's head to the Grand Line!''

* * *

''So our destination is Reverse Mountain?''

''Yup,'' Nami confirmed. ''That's the entry way to the Grand Line. We're not that far off, actually.''

Luffy grinned, excited at the news ''Finally!''

''Wait, how do we even use that, Nami? Is there like some tunnel we should go through?'' Zoro cocked his head.

''No, from what I've heard we need to go over the mountain.''

''Well we could ask a native.'' Sanji glanced at Miguel. ''Didn't you get to East Blue this way?''

Miguel shook his head ''The method I used is different. It was a warp circle.''

Usopp's eyes widened ''Are you serious? That sounds cool! Can't we use that?''

''No, it has to be set up to send us over. Even then, would take us to Elysia. Besides, the people who know how to set them up are really strict about their usage.''

''That sounds stingy...''

''Can you blame them after all the wizards had to deal with?'' Nami asked.

''I could try asking about it but that would take a while.'' Miguel warned.

''Why bother? We should just go that mountain!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''Of course you'd say that...'' Usopp grumbled. ''...we don't even know anything about it.''

''Well, for what it's worth...'' Everyone looked at Miguel. ''...I knew there was a chance I'd have to go back on my own so I looked into this. Like Nami says, people go over Reverse Mountain. We read up about it back home, water runs on paths over the mountain. That's how ships cross over.''

''That sounds crazy...'' Sanji trailed off.

''Yeah, about that...I'll give you a fair warning. I might not have traveled a lot over the Grand Line but one thing's for sure, you shouldn't rely too much on common sense. It's completely different from the blues.''

Usopp stiffened ''W-wait, how different are we talking about here?''

''What, scared already, Captain Usopp?'' Zoro teased.

''Who, me? Of course not!'' He said quickly, though a tremor in his voice told otherwise.

Nami crossed her arms ''Well, it fits with what I've heard and more. Nice to see there's someone else here with a good head on their shoulders. Miguel, if you can think of any other information that can help us, let me know.''

''Come to think of it, wasn't there this place that people tend to stop at before going to the Grand Line?'' Sanji wondered, trying to remember one of Zeff's stories. ''What was its name again...?''

''Oh, you're thinking of Loguetown.'' Nami offered. ''And you're right, it's a popular area. I was thinking of stopping there for supplies.''

''Ah, I heard of that place. They call it the Town of Beginnings and Ends.'' Zoro mused.

Usopp blinked at the strange title ''Why's that?''

''Not too sure, but supposedly it had to do with the Pirate King. Loguetown is where Gold Roger came from and also where he was executed.''

''Really?!'' Luffy looked intrigued. ''I totally want to see that place!''

''Well, stopping there could help. There's no telling when we'll find another place to restock after this.'' Miguel remarked.

Nami nodded ''It's decided then.''

* * *

In all his excitement, Luffy quickly found someone to ask about the execution platform and so left minutes after they disembarked, to the crew's exasperation.

''This is just great...didn't we just tell him to not just rush into things since we have so much to do?'' Sanji groused.

''Well apparently it went in one ear and out the other...'' Nami grumbled. ''...we can't babysit him now. We need to sort out the supplies, not to mention we probably don't even have enough clothes to deal with differing temperatures.''

''Okay, so that's one thing and of course we need to pick up food and drink.'' Miguel started. ''Usopp, weren't you and Zoro talking about getting stuff to help you for future battles?''

''Yeah, he said he wanted to find swords. I just checked the directions and...'' The sniper paused, noticing their green haired crewmate's figure heading off in the distance. ''...guys? It looks like Zoro left too.''

Nami groaned ''I swear those two are as bad as each other...''

Usopp sighed ''He went the wrong way too. Johnny mentioned something about this before but does Zoro have a terrible sense of direction or what?''

''This is getting to be a worrying pattern...'' Miguel trailed off, recalling how Zoro also almost got lost in Orange Town.

''Don't worry about it so much, those two can take care of themselves.'' Sanji stated. ''Anyway, we've got work to do. Come on!''

* * *

And so they got to work, first taking care of the clothes for the crew before going to see about other supplies. Sanji in particular, was pleased at the assortment of foods they discovered in the process but it was nothing compared to his feelings when they found a refrigerator. They hadn't been too sure about the price as it seemed that it would cost almost all their money but thankfully Miguel offered some of his own share which more than covered it.

Nami smiled as they stopped a short distance from the market so Miguel could put their purchases away in his personal dimension. ''Thanks a bunch, you're a big help.''

''I'll say, sorry about before. Hope you didn't have to dig in the fund for your home.'' Sanji added.

''Nah, it's fine.'' Miguel half-smiled. ''I've been traveling for months, remember? I've gotten my fair share on one side. I'm happy to help you guys but I'm going to have to draw a line when it comes to that fund.''

''Hey, we understand...''

''Yeah, we wouldn't ask you to touch that.'' Usopp added with Nami nodding next to him. It was important after all and he would admit to being impressed with their friend for going to such lengths for his home.

* * *

Once they wrapped things up, Usopp and Miguel headed to find tools and gizmos for the sniper. It took a while but they were soon able to come across an old shop with quite the variety.

''You can really use that sort of thing?'' He asked curiously, seeing Usopp pick up some tacks.

Usopp grinned ''You'd be surprised. I'm willing to go the extra mile to allow all of my creativity to blossom. This is the tale of Captain Usopp's rise after all! No effort can be spared!''

''Right.'' Miguel shook his head with a bemused look.

''How about you though? Nothing caught your eye?'' Usopp added.

''Well...'' The young man looked around again, seeming pensive. He paused after almost a minute and went to pick up what appeared to a band with a sphere on top and a needle inside it.

''That's one weird compass.'' Usopp cocked his head.

Miguel seemed pleased ''I hoped we could find one...''

''Oh?'' The shop owner gave him an appraising look. ''Yer one of the few who'd actually looking come for one, sonny. Do ya even know what yer doing with that?''

''I wouldn't be looking for it if I didn't.'' was the response. ''So how much is it?''

''Well, let's see how honest you are. Keep that money coming and I'll tell ya.''

After some thinking, Miguel got a stack of berri and handed it over. The man responded by counting while Usopp stared in surprise, the man let out a satisfied hum. ''Good, now for people like you...'' He bent and held up a box with a similar device. ''...I'd present my better stock.''

''Thanks!'' Miguel took it and they left after finishing up payment with the man bidding them good luck.

''You actually paid him at least 700,000 berri! That's nuts!'' Usopp couldn't make sense of it since Miguel had always seemed so careful with money so far.

''Not for this thing.'' He returned. ''This is a Log Pose and we'd really need once we get to the Grand Line. The islands there all emit those magnetic fields that send a compass haywire but a Log Pose locks into one field and shows the way to one of the islands. The needle changes as we travel to lock onto the closest field. It's so useful that there's this old law on the Grand Line: never doubt a Log Pose.''

''Whoa...okay, forget I said anything. It's lucky we have you here for sure, this'll be a great help!''

Miguel smiled ''Well, like you said no effort can be spared, right?'' Usopp nodded with a grin. ''Anyway, I'm still wondering about Zoro so I'll go see if I can find him, then I'll go back to the ship. What do you want to do?''

''I kind of want to look around some more so see you around!''

He nodded back and both sniper and quartermaster headed off in separate directions. So far, they had been off to a good start in this town.

* * *

 _Well, let's stop here._

 _I hope this was good. I did skip some parts but it's mostly just like in canon and I really don't feel like repeating it. The Loguetown arc is pretty short anyway so I'll probably finish it up next chapter. Putting it all at once just seemed a little too much._

 _To clarify, the reason behind Miguel's fear of flames will come into full light in the Elysia arc. That's where it all went down. The whole situation was pretty terrible. Also, if he hadn't paid an amount the shop keeper felt was right, Miguel would've gotten an old Log Pose that wouldn't have lasted long._

 _Anyway, thanks for reading so far and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	14. Chapter 14

_beenjammin: Oh, I'm not insulted. I didn't say I like the title, remember? It was just about the best thing I could think of. Not something I'm proud to admit. I'm totally open to suggestions. Elemental Swordsman doesn't sound so bad so I'll consider it. Thanks for the idea._

* * *

It didn't take Miguel long to find the sword shop but he soon found out that he missed Zoro shortly. Apparently, the owner's encounter with his friend had left him in awe, for a reason he was quick to explain.

''A cursed sword?''

Ippon-Matsu nodded ''It was insane! He actually just threw the sword in the air and held up his arm, the thing actually actually missed it. I swear, nothing could shake that guy, he just took it all in stride! Now that was a true swordsman!''

Miguel could understand his amazement. He had heard of the cursed blades, they were all said to be too wild and so very few swordsman would actually rely on them. ''...I guess Zoro would be the one to pull something like that off. It really is a lucky break, not even counting finding one of the swords.''

''You got that right.'' Ippon-Matsu glanced at the young man's sheathed sword. ''You sure seem to know your stuff. Would you be interested in another sword?''

''Ah, sorry but no, you've got quite a selection but I think I'm good.'' He left the shop soon afterwards, wondering about his next course of action.

Miguel stopped in his tracks as he heard the sounds of a scuffle from somewhere nearby. He quickly found a little boy and girl being surrounded by four thugs, with one just having kicked the boy down.

Said thug also held up a leather pouch ''If it means so much to you then you shouldn't drop it.''

''S-shut up, you jerk! You're just a bunch of bullies!'' The boy managed, cringing in pain. ''Give it back!''

''Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson, brat. That suits me just fine. Here's a freebie lesson: respect your betters!'' He made to punch the boy, only to stop as he felt something grab his arm. ''Eh?''

The thug's eyes widened when he saw Miguel holding his arm firmly ''The hell do you want?''

''Looks like we got a hero wannabe here, fellas.'' Another of the thugs said.

Miguel looked unfazed even as they closed in on him ''Try picking on someone your own size.''

''Oh, like you?'' The thug retorted before making to punch him. Miguel stepped sideways, tripping the thug he had stopped earlier before kicking his attacker in the gut and knocking him out. This angered the rest of them into attacking as well but Miguel quickly took them down too.

''No, definitely not like me.''

The wizard stopped to pick up the pouch before turning to the kids ''Hey, you two all right?''

The two, who seemed rather stunned by the turnout managed to find their voices enough to answer. Miguel smiled and gave the pouch to the girl, who held it tightly ''Um...thank you...''

''That was cool!'' The boy exclaimed.

Miguel looked amused ''Well, I'm glad things turned out okay. From what you've said, I'm guessing they've been around for a while?''

''Yeah, they're just a bunch of jerks who like to mess with people. Now they just pull this stuff off when they get away with it.''

At Miguel's curious expression, the girl began to explain ''It's because of Captain Smoker...''

* * *

Sanji held up his new find with a grin, having just won the prize of the cooking contest. Normally, he would hate the idea but the incentive was so good. It was something he'd never thought he'd come across.

A Blue Elephant tuna, one caught in the best time so it would make for a wonderful dish. He was already looking forward to cooking it.

It was as he was checking the area to see if any of the crew was around that he noticed Miguel making his way through the other side of the street, though he was quick to approach Sanji once he saw him.

''You seem happy, what's up?''

''Let's just say I really lucked out. You're all in for a nice surprise.'' Sanji returned.

''Heeh, oh you want some help with that?'' Miguel asked.

''Nah, I'm good. Though I think Nami-san could use a hand, she's in one of those shops nearby.''

''Right.'' Miguel paused. ''Say, did you see Luffy and Zoro?''

''Nope but this is a big place...though now that you mention it, what're those two up to?''

* * *

After his earlier sudden dash, it had taken some endeavoring but Luffy had finally made it to the execution platform. He paused to look around before launching himself to the top and reveling in the moment. The teen had been raring to come ever since he first heard of this place and now he finally had. He was finally able to imagine what it felt like for Gold Roger when he was on top and even before his death. The time where he uttered the words that would usher the Grand Age of Pirates. Luffy grinned, loving every bit of this.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy this for much longer as a marine spotted him and snapped at him to get down. Which he did, albeit grudgingly as he decided to go find his friends. But that was when someone approached him...

''I found you at last, Monkey D. Luffy.'' She smiled.

People were stopping all they were doing and staring at her in awe, she was truly beautiful with her thick wavy looks, lithe and graceful body along with a bewitching smile.

Not that Luffy noticed any of it, he was just confused. ''Who are you?''

''You forgot about me? Such a shame...'' The woman purred. ''...well, I couldn't forget about you. Not about the man who punched me like no other had...''

Luffy blinked, not noticing the observers glare at him for the perceived slight ''What're you talking about? I never even saw you before!''

''I'm Alvida. Everyone, who is the most beautiful woman in the sea?'' She smirked when many voices cried out that it was her. ''That's right. I do love strong men and I have you in my sights, Luffy, soon you'll be all mine.''

''What? No way!'' Luffy recoiled, clearly the only one completely immune to her charms. ''Who are you?''

''Weren't you listening? I just said it, Alvida!''

''Alvida?'' Luffy frowned, thinking that it couldn't be. He did remember the woman but this one did not look the slightest like her...

Not that he had much time to think as something hard and fast impacted the ground before, raising a cloud of dust and debris. Oddly enough, the debris seemed to literally slide away from Alvida, who seemed unfazed as she looked up to a hooded figure standing nearby.

''That was dangerous, you know.''

''Apologies but I knew no harm would come to you with that smooth skin, Lady Alvida.'' The figure returned.

Luffy blinked ''Why're you calling her Alvida?''

The woman's eye twitched ''How dense can you be? I _am_ Alvida!''

''But you don't look anything like her!''

''Ah, that.'' Alvida hummed in understanding. ''I suppose I can understand some confusion, I did change a little due to eating the Slip Slip fruit after all. It makes sure that all attacks slide away from me. Sadly, it didn't really do much for my incredible looks besides taking my freckles away.''

''Uh...'' Luffy cocked his head, but he had a feeling that pointing out the truth was a huge waste of time. ''...sure, let's go with that.''

''At any rate, the two of us joined together to find you.'' Alvida informed. The hooded figure tossed his cloak back and revealed himself to be none other than Buggy the Clown.

He laughed ''Surprise, Straw hat bastard! Now it's time for the real star, me!'' He grinned as people began to panic and run at the sight of him. ''I've come to take revenge on you!''

''Hey, it's you...'' Luffy blinked. ''...Buffoon.''

Buggy spluttered, repeating the name in outrage ''You've got some nerve! IT'S BUGGY, YOU BASTARD AND YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!'' He looked at the scattering crowd. ''All of you stay there or I'll kill you!'' Buggy's crew began coming out some alleys and other hidden areas, all holding out guns. ''I just love me a captive audience so you'll all watch as I exact my revenge and prove my strength!''

''Oh no wait, it was Buggy, right?'' Luffy tried.

''YOU JUST REALIZED THAT?!''

Before Luffy quite knew it, he was shoved onto the platform with a big block on him...

* * *

At the same time...

Usopp, who happened to hear of what was going on in the plaza from people nearby, hurried to find his friends. While he hadn't been able to hear the name of Buggy's target, he was already aware that Luffy had defeated him before and so he couldn't shake this really bad feeling about the whole thing. He hoped that they were done with restocking because the sooner they were out of there the better in his book.

He soon caught up to the crew near the harbor, only to be dismayed to find that their captain hadn't returned. ''Where's Luffy?''

''Hell if I know, I've got a bad feeling about this...'' Zoro grimaced, in moments said feeling would be very much well founded.

''Guys!'' Sanji ran over. ''I just got around to asking some of the people. Buggy found Luffy somehow and now he's executing him!''

''WHAT?!''

* * *

Buggy laughed heartily as he enjoyed his triumph of the moment ''For the crime of pissing me off, the pirate Monkey D. Luffy shall be executed here and now!''

''What?! Stop joking around!'' The teen cried only to be ignored.

Buggy continued to laugh, enjoying hearing his crew's cheers as people watched on in shock ''Give it up! I flashily declare the that this pubic execution will begin!''

The rest of the Straw hat crew were already on the move. Since Nami had predicted a storm on the way, their group split up. Nami and Usopp would see to the Merry Go and get everything ready to leave while Zoro, Miguel and Sanji were to help Luffy.

Things were getting more complicated since they had to make sure to keep an eye out for the marines, who were also preparing to storm the plaza. While they didn't have any reason to warrant negative attention, them being here would raise too many questions and they couldn't afford such distractions.

It was just as they made it to their destination that Miguel stopped, making his fellow crew mates look at him.

''Oi, what's wrong?'' Zoro followed his line of sight, seeing that he was concentrated on a number of figures rushing towards the harbor with weapons at the ready. ''Those guys...''

''What's up?'' Sanji inquired.

It was Miguel who answered ''We've seen some of them before. They're part of Buggy's crew, it's a little too much of a coincidence that they'd be heading to the harbor now, don't you think?''

''Yeah...'' The cook grit his teeth, guessing that they were likely hoping to deal with them.

''You guys go on, I can head them off. Those numbers aren't looking good, Usopp and Nami might need help.'' Miguel stated.

''Right.''

''Leave it to us.'' Zoro added and the three took off.

* * *

''I guess this is it for the man I've had my eye on.'' Alvida sighed while Buggy and his crew were clearly pleased at the turn out.

And Luffy? Well, he couldn't look more deadpan if he tried. ''I'm sorry...please forgive me...'' He droned.

''AS IF!'' Buggy retorted.

''You'll be the lesson for everyone to see what the price is for defying us.'' Cabaji said smugly.

''That's right.'' His captain concurred. ''Now, you want to say a few last words for our audience? '' Luffy merely scowled. ''Suit yourself, you're going to die flashily anyway!''

That was when the rubber teen pulled something no one would have seen coming.

''LISTEN! I'M THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME KING OF THE PIRATES!''

The statement caused a resounding shock through the audience as it carried quite a weight, especially here of all places. Not only did Luffy seem not to fear death but his determination was still going strong...

Buggy merely snorted ''Well then...''

''STOP THE EXECUTION!'' That was when Zoro and Sanji made their entrance.

Luffy perked up ''GUYS! You came to save me!''

''You made it Zoro? But you're just too late!'' Buggy taunted.

If Zoro heard him, he made no show of it ''Luffy, you idiot! I warned you against fooling around before.''

''You starting a sideshow, or that just how you usually look? How sad.'' Sanji smirked. ''This ends right now, Buggy!''

* * *

Usopp and Nami were busy fighting off the Buggy pirates closing in on their ship. While the latter bashed any who came close with her staff and dodging some counterattacks, Usopp sniped at anyone in his range.

Things weren't looking good though, as the numbers were very much against them and they were gaining ground.

Usopp knocked down one attacker with a Lead Star before noticing Richie jumping over some of the pirates and landing very close to the Merry. Mohji and a few others took advantage of this to keep pressing on ''You stay away from there!''

Mohji opened his mouth, likely to taunt him from the sneer on his face, when the Merry was suddenly surrounded by a sphere of wind, leaving them to recoil in shock. The man's eyes widened when Miguel flew down to block their path ''Y-You!''

The wizard glared back ''So there really were more of you, I should have known...''

Nami and Usopp perked up ''Miguel!''

He gave them a small smile ''I thought you could use a hand.''

''W-wait, the way he's...'' One of the pirates said. ''...you think the others...''

''If you're counting on reinforcements then forget it.'' Miguel cut in, leveling his wind sword at them, confirming the speaker's suspicions.

Mohji cringed, still remembering their last confrontation, had he already beaten their other crewmates? ''Well, it doesn't matter!'' He decided. ''Get them!''

The pirates charged on command and Miguel knocked down three of them with a Flicker Strike. Seeing a couple of more pirates try to shoot at him, he merely raised his sword and it released a flurry of gales that sent them both into the water. Nami grinned and proceeded to trip a pirate nearby before knocking him out with her staff while Usopp aimed another projectile at Mohji, who jumped back but was cut down by Miguel a second later.

''You're not laying a single finger on our ship!'' Usopp cried.

* * *

With his new swords at hand, Zoro was fighting better than ever. Despite this being the first time he really put them to use, he felt that Kitetsu III and Yubashiri were perfect for him. He quickly cut a charging figure down with Wado Ichimonji before holding up his new blades to block a pirate using an ax before skillfully throwing the weapon away and cutting its user down.

Sanji slammed his foot onto a pirate's back before doing a handstand and launching two spinning kicks that sent two others pirates fling. He quickly flipped back up and ran to the platform with Zoro.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, their enemies were determined to block their path.

Buggy cackled and raised his sword ''There's nothing any of you can do!''

Luffy closed his eyes for a moment before looking up ''ZORO! SANJI!'' He could see how the two were still fighting for his sake and he already picked from Buggy's bragging that the others were also facing enemies. ''MIGUEL! USOPP! NAMI!''

''SORRY!'' He went on, smiling. ''BUT...I'M DEAD.''

''IDIOT!'' Zoro cried.

''DON'T SAY THAT!'' Sanji exclaimed.

Just as Buggy lowered his sword, a bolt of lightning came crashing down and connected with the blade. Everyone could only stare in shock as the platform slowly shook and fell apart as a result.

And if that weren't enough to stun everyone, Luffy merely jumped on the broken platform and grabbed his floating hat, not even glancing at the unconscious and injured Buggy. The storm had finally sailed in and rain began to pour heavily.

''Hey, I'm alive, that's nice!''

As one would say, seeing is believing. Many of those present may not have believed what was going on here were they not seeing it for themselves. Some couldn't help but wonder how Luffy brushed all this off so easily. Didn't anything faze him?

Some among the observers could only wonder, just why would he smile at that moment?

''That was...divine intervention...'' Sanji managed at last.

''Yeah, right.'' Zoro scoffed. ''Anyway, let's get out of here...''

* * *

But they were still not done, as the marines had taken note of the situation and charged into the square from different directions to over the whole area. Things went crazy pretty quick and they were soon fighting with Buggy's crew.

''Luffy, we have to leave. Nami-san warned us about a storm that could put the ship at risk, let's go!'' Sanji exclaimd.

''Right!'' With that said, they ran on just as a marine called for their capture, signaling others to attack them. But the three attacked in tandem, mowing down anyone in their way.

In their own attempts to escape, Buggy and Alvida had the bad luck of encountering the head of the marines in the area, Captain Smoker. The former tried to blast him with a bomb but the man merely flew through it despite the explosion it caused, to their shock.

''White Out!'' His hands released clouds of gray smoke that flew at them and trapped many of the pirates in the way.

Buggy cursed and continued to try and run but Smoker created more smoke to block their path before he had his men close in and create a trap that held them back.

''I'll take care of Straw Hat.'' He declared.

The three Straw Hats kept going on, having trouble because of the storm. As they ran down a wide street, they found their path blocked by a group of marines led by a female officer with a sword.

Sanji perked up ''Who is she?''

She glared at Zoro ''So you really are a pirate now...I won't let you get away, you liar!''

''What?! What did you do?'' Sanji demanded.

''Oh please, it's her own fault. I never even bothered to lie.''

''Then why is she so angry?! Don't you know anything? Women have to be treated with the utmost respect!''

''Shut it!''

The woman, Sergeant Major Tashigi, drew her sword ''I'll be taking Wado Ichimonji, you won't leave without it.''

''Feel free to try.'' Zoro retorted, bracing himself for battle. She growled and dashed to cut him down but he stopped her attack and they clashed once more.

''Didn't you just hear me? You can't fight her!'' Sanji cried.

''This has nothing to do with you, I want to settle this myself!'' Tashigi snapped.

''You heard her. Go.'' Zoro said shortly. Luffy nodded and took off, Sanji soon followed suit but not before warning Zoro about hurting Tashigi.

Not all was well though as they were soon found by Smoker, who raised more smoke to obstruct their path. ''You're not getting any further, Straw Hat.'' He waved a hand and the smoke suddenly trapped them.

''Don't bother.'' He told the two struggling pirates. ''I ate the Smoke Smoke fruit, which lets me turn my body to smoke whenever I want.''

Sanji cursed and tried to kick the man, only to be shocked when his kick went through Smoker's chest. The man didn't so much as flinch as he proceeded to punch Sanji before throwing him down.

''Sanji!''

''You don't have time to worry about others.'' Smoker warned. ''White Blow!''

In seconds, he had Luffy pinned down to the ground. ''I suppose that's that, we're through.''

A moment later, he had to jump back to dodge a rising wave of water that was big enough to obstruct his view. ''What?!''

Luffy's eyes widened when he saw Miguel fly in and strike Smoker's jutte with his water sword, throwing the captain for a loop as the blade released a burst of water that almost made him drop the weapon.

He grunted ''So you had more comrades in the wait, huh? Let's take care of this then.''

Smoker proceeded to attack again but Miguel blocked his strike and the two clashed again and again before getting into a deadlock. The latter however, hadn't noticed the smoke spreading around him till it was almost too late and it trapped him.

Luffy looked alarmed ''Miguel!''

''It's brave of you to come after him but also foolish.'' Smoker remarked. ''White...''

He didn't get to finish as a hand grabbed his jutte, making the marine stare up at a hooded figure near him. Unlike the Straw Hats, Smoker stood close enough to get a look at the new arrival's face but that was just why he was stunned. It didn't take him long to figure out who he was staring at.

''You?!'' He exclaimed. ''The government's still after you head, why would you come here?''

The hooded figure grinned ''The world is still waiting for our answer. It won't all end here.''

Sanji looked as confused as his friends felt but he was quick to remember their predicament ''Guys, come on, we've gotta keep moving!'' Luffy and Miguel nodded before following him, missing the man glancing back with a satisfied grin.

''Why would you help them?!'' Smoker demanded.

''I believe it would be a shame to let you cut off their journey so soon.'' The man remarked calmly.

''Do you really expect me to believe that's all?'' His eyes narrowed. ''Dragon?''The man's grin returned but he remained quiet.

* * *

A huge green wind came from the sky and sent everyone in the streets flying, with them all trying to hang on somehow, with even the Merry go beginning to float away from the shore.

Sanji balanced himself ''What was that?''

''Good question...'' He blinked and saw Zoro come out of a nearby alley ''...never mind though, there's the ship.''

He was right, strangely enough, that wind had blown them to where they just needed to go. Bewildered as they were, they knew they had to go and so Miguel helped them all fly to the Merry.

''You made it!'' Nami exclaimed.

''All right!'' Usopp cheered.

Luffy grinned ''It's time! Let's go to the Grand Line!''

Little did they know that the strange wind had also helped Buggy and his crew, allowing them to escape safely. The Chop Chop man was still determined to after Luffy and so he decided to go after him. Also Smoker and Tashigi had agreed to leave the town and go after the Straw Hat pirates with both groups knowing that their targets would be in the Grand Line.

''We're getting close.'' Nami informed the crew, showing them the chart she stole from Buggy while Sanji manned the wheel. The storm had cleared a little while ago, making things easier. ''I know it sounds crazy but remember what Miguel told us, we can reach the other side through one of Reverse Mountain's canals.''

''So it's a mystery mountain!'' Luffy exclaimed.

She slapped the side of his head ''No, it isn't. We've been through this!''

''Let's say we try going around the mountain, wouldn't it work?'' Zoro asked Miguel, who shook his head.

''It's too dangerous, for one thing if we're not careful, we'll end up in the Calm Belt.''

Usopp gulped ''I forgot about that...but can we really go up the canals? It sounds nuts!''

''There's a reason getting to the Grand Line is considered hard. Remember what I said before? You can't apply common sense much in the Grand Line, things are completely different there.''

''There it is!'' Sanji exclaimed, leaving everyone to stare at the tall mountain. ''Nami-san, directions?''

''Go straight ahead.'' She replied readily. ''Hold the rudder steady and we'll be able to reach one of the canals.'' She gestured at the ten gates they were approaching. ''We have to make out way through the gates just right or we'll crash!''

With the current as strong as it was, the Merry was pulled up but it soon began drifting left. Sanji tried to steer the ship but it was rather hard in this situation. Miguel requipped his wind sword and aimed a burst of wind carefully so that the ship began to adjust before repeating the process a couple of more times, bringing them back on course.

''All right!'' Nami smiled.

''We made it!'' Luffy cheered.

''All right...'' Sanji walked over, holding a barrel. ''...let's have a little ceremony, to mark the occasion.''

''Great idea!'' Usopp grinned.

The cook placed his foot on the barrel as he spoke ''I'm going to find the All Blue!''

The rest began to follow suit, Zoro then said ''I'll become the World's Greatest Swordsman!''

''I'll draw a map of the world!'' Nami declared.

Miguel went next ''I'll complete the Phantom Quest!''

''I'll become the King of Pirates!'' Luffy grinned.

''I'll...become a brave warrior of the sea!'' Usopp finished reaffirming their dreams together.

''We'll do it all for sure!'' Luffy added happily and they cheered in agreement.

Miguel smiled to himself. He never could've imagined what would come of this journey a few months ago but he was all the more glad for this turnout. He was looking forward to traveling with this crew who were proving to be fine friends and he would do everything in his power to support them.

The Straw Hats felt like they had truly made a milestone and the true start of their journey was just ahead.

* * *

 _And let's stop here._

 _What do you think? I hope this was good. I wanted to get this done sooner but I've been swamped in college lately so I finally got around to actually working on my stories again. So we finally finish the East Blue Saga and get to the Grand Line, I'm looking forward to working on it, I've got a bunch of plans in store already._

 _I know I skipped some parts but like I may have mentioned, I don't feel like repeating events that were just the same in canon except for certain parts that feel more central to the plot. I chose the part with Buggy's revenge because it's important and it has consequences later on, I mean that's effectively why Bartolomeo became Luffy's fan, right?_

 _Anyway, thanks for reading so far and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	15. Chapter 15

Though the mood had definitely been great since the Straw Hats had succesfully made it to Reverse Mountain, now it was taking a turn for the worse.

The reason had to do with the following exchange.

''Miguel?''

''Yeah?''

''To be fair, I know it's your money but I want to understand...'' Nami glanced at the Log Pose. ''...why exactly would you spend millions on this thing?'' Really, she thought he was more sensible than that!

Miguel sighed and spared Usopp a dry look (as he had been the one to tell her more about their excursions in Log Town). The sniper, being also aware of her feelings when it came to money as both remembered Nami verbally tearing down a man in Log Town who had tried to tip them off while they were shipping cringed. He could shrug and give him an apologetic look in return.

''I was actually looking to talk to you about that. See...'' The wizard proceeded to explain about the item in question, leaving her thrown for a loop.

''Wow...okay, now I see why.'' She remarked when he finished. ''This sounds very useful, so you know how to use it?''

''Mm, I've got the basics down. I'll show you.''

Sanji and Usopp sighed in relief while Zoro arched an eye. ''...What's with the sudden really weird shift in the air?''

''Nami-san's very passionate about things.'' Sanji answered.

Usopp snorted ''Passionate nothing...let's just say she really, really hates the idea of wasting money. You didn't see her tear strips off that jerk, I mean sure he had it coming but boy that was intense...''

Luffy, who had been sitting on the Merry's figure head, spoke up after a few minutes ''Guys, there's another mountain ahead!''

Nami's eyes widened ''What?'' She looked confused at the sight of the huge dark structure looming ahead. ''Something's off here, I never found any map that mentioned another mountain.''

''But it's right there!''

''Look, something's obviously up,'' Sanji stated, always willing to help a lady. ''If Nami-san says...'' He blinked as the sound of what seemed to be low groaning reached them. ''...what the...''

''I guess it could be the wind blowing through it...'' Nami trailed off, though her expression said she was skeptic.

She wasn't the only one ''Yeah? Well, for all that it sure sounds creepy.'' Usopp stated.

''...Guys, last I checked, mountains don't have fins.'' Zoro stated, pointing them at the appendage he happened to notice.

''Eh?'' They looked alarmed at the sight of the fin barely visible above the water head. Usopp blanched as a thought occurred to him ''Is it some kind of Sea King?''

''I don't know...'' Miguel glanced back at the huge figure, this reminded him of something he'd seen before. ''...it actually looks more like a whale.''

''Hah?'' He gaped.

''No way!'' Zoro exclaimed.

''It's just a guess. Besides, I warned you guys before, don't try applying usual common sense to the Grand Line. It'll never work.''

Sanji blinked ''...Huh, I see what you're getting at, Miguel...since when are whales that big though?''

''Who cares? Let's fight it!'' Luffy even reared up a fist in his enthusiasm.

''No way!'' Nami said at once. ''We need to get away from that thing!''

''Ehhhh?'' He wasn't willing to concede so quickly. ''But Miguel could fight it easily, right?''

''That'd just complicate things, Luffy.'' was the response. ''There's no reason to fight and even if there was, it'd be hard to protect the ship and face something that big.''

Nami was nodding to this while the captain pouted. Sanji glanced at the whale ''Sounds about right to me. I'd say it hasn't seen us yet so let's just keep going and we'll be far off soon enough.''

Miguel waved a hand and a blue spell circle flashed over his hand for a moment, revealing a sword with a crystal blue pommel and a dark blue and white sheath. While they wondered why he brought this one out, things soon made sense as their friend raised the sword and the current around them seemed to shift and boost the ship forward.

''Oh, so it a water sword. Nice!'' Usopp gave him a thumbs up. ''You really worked up the uses of magic in all sorts of ways, huh?''

''This was actually part of the basic stuff we learned even before using it to fight...'' The wizard paused when his eyes landed on something odd, two people flying near the whale.

Seconds later, the whale let out a bellow and turned its eye on them before attacking. Thinking fast, Miguel brought out his wind sword and conjured gales around the ship to ward it off. Unfortunately, this wasn't nearly so effective as he would've like. The whale seemed rather upset and it continued pushing forward, its next attack wound up breaking the figure head as a result.

''My special seat!'' Luffy glared at the whale. ''Why you-eat this!'' He punched it on the eye, leaving it to cry out in pain.

''You idiot!'' Nami and Usopp snapped.

If he heard them, the rubber teen made no show of it as he continued to fight. In seconds, the whale caused a huge wave that almost threw him off and pushed the Merry back. Luffy barely managed to cling on a rock nearby, his friends' cries alerting him to another problem.

The whale had swallowed the Merry Go!

This immediately spurred him into action ''Give them back!'' He punched the whale again. ''My friends and I are undergoing a very important adventure. I can't lose them!''

It was just as he was about to strike again that he spotted something odd on the whale.

''Wha-that's a door?'' He blinked twice. ''What gives?''

* * *

After their initial panic, the rest of the Straw Hats began to think of a way to get out of this predicament. At first, they hadn't been sure if they were swallowed due to the fact that the area around them resembled the outside. As in, at first it appeared as if there was a sky and even seagulls about. Closer inspection revealed all of this to be painted on, however, leaving them more confused.

''Who would do something like that?'' Sanji wondered once the realization sank in.

''Who cares? We need to find a way out of here!'' Usopp reminded. ''Miguel, don't you have any spell that would help?''

''Unless we find our way back to its mouth, no.'' He admitted, wishing he had been able to stop this. But they were caught up in the waves and all the panic and there was no way around it.

''Ah, look!'' Nami pointed ahead to where a rock that incredibly enough had a small shack and a chair out. On said item was an old man with white hair that was styled in a way reminiscent of a flower. He had been reading the newspaper but stopped upon noticing them. ''How is he so relaxed?''

''Don't know but maybe he can help us.'' Zoro pointed out.

''Let's find out. Hey, what is this place?'' Sanji called.

The man kept giving them a rather intense look that left some unnerved before speaking ''We're inside a whale's stomach, I thought that was obvious.''

''...He's getting on my nerves.''

''Calm down, calm down. So old man, what about all this stuff?'' Zoro gestured at the walls. ''I mean why is that here?''

He stared again before responding ''Just an old man's past time. And shouldn't you kids be introducing yourselves?''

''Oh, right. Well, I'm...''

With another hard stare, the man cut in ''My name is Crocus, I'm 71 years old...''

''Okay, I've had it! Can I kill him?'' Zoro made to grab his sword, leaving Usopp to try and calm him.

''Is this supposed to be some kind of gag?'' Miguel wondered. Not that he saw the funny thing here but that was the first reason he could think of for it.

''Why yes, it is.'' Crocus replied, to their surprise. ''I wondered if you kids would catch on.''

''...You do realize he wasn't serious, right?'' Nami had to ask while Miguel seemed bewildered, he really hadn't been thinking much about his words then...

Before anyone could decide what to make of this, something happened that caught them all by surprise. Luffy flew above them along with a young woman with light blue hair and a man in a green coat and a crown.

''Luffy?!''

''Hey guys!''

Miguel stopped their flight with a telekinesis spell and brought them onboard. Luffy thanked him with a grin ''I just found this hatch and went down when I saw those two jump in. What's going on?''

''That's what we'd like to know. Who are you anyway?'' Nami demanded.

''I-I'm Mr. 9.'' The man returned.

''And I'm called Miss Wednesday.'' The woman added.

''Wow, what a beautiful woman!'' Sanji swooned, she looked uncomfortable at his expression.

Luffy then noticed their surroundings ''...Whoa, what's with this place?''

''Like Nami says, we're trying to figure this out too.'' Zoro offered.

Meanwhile, Mr. 9 had pulled Miss Wednesday aside to talk ''They're clearly pirates but we may be able to appeal their better nature.'' He suggested.

But she looked unsure ''What makes you think they'd help us?''

''Well, we can at least try. Worse comes to worse, we can pay them to do it.''

''You know, we can all hear you.'' Nami said flatly, making them stiffen.

The old man swam over, an angry look settling on his face when he saw ''I knew it was you. I won't let you lay a finger on Laboon!''

The duo jumped to their feet and held up weapons at the ready as Miss Wednesday laughed ''You can't stop us from fulfilling our mission!''

''That's right!'' Mr. 9 agreed. ''We're going to take this whale out and he'll make one great food supply for our town. But first, you're going down!''

The two attacked in tandem, but the man stepped aside to dodge Miss Wednesday's weapon, which looked like a chakram tied a string before he threw her back into his partner.

''Hey, show the lady some respect, you oaf!'' Sanji barked.

''I don't need help from a pirate!'' Miss Wednesday retorted as they pulled themselves up, clearly intent on keeping up the fight. Both took up their guns and Mr. 9 called out.

''Time to rip this whale a new hole.''

They didn't get very far though as both their weapons were lifted into the air by an unseen force, leaving them flummoxed. Luffy took advantage of what he knew was Miguel's gravity magic to punch Mr. 9, Miss Wednesday froze as Miguel blocked her path.

''I thought that was you guys back there. You're probably the whole reason the whale started acting in the first place. I don't know what's going but this doesn't sit right with us.'' He stated, Luffy's expression proved that he agreed completely. ''I'd suggest you leave if you don't want to be humiliated.''

Crocus grimaced as the two did just that but he seemed to settle for this turn out ''Thank you. I wouldn't count on anything they say though, they'll probably be coming before long.''

''I don't think it'd be far off to assume that something's off with those two, we'd like some answers, if you don't mind.''

''Of course, that's the least I can do.''

* * *

Crocus explained everything while he showed them to a way out and took them to the lighthouse at the twin capes. Learning the truth left the Straw Hats glad that their friends intervened when they had.

The whale's name was Laboon. He was in Island Whale that had arrived with from West Blue with a group of pirates 50 years ago. But since he had been so young, they couldn't take him along with them and so asked Crocus to watch out for him, promising to return when their travels were over. That was the start of Laboon's waiting.

But as the years passed, they didn't receive even a little bit of news about the crew. This made Crocus decide to look into the matter further, leading him to join another crew to search for information. The doctor had assumed that they died but he was eventually able to find some news about them and it almost made him wish that he didn't.

Laboon's friends hadn't died, they fled the Grand Line and abandoned him. The time he tried explaining this to the whale marked the day Laboon began attacking the mountain. It was all in the hopes that he would get through and find them. The whale just couldn't believe that they'd do something like that. Seeing all the wounds on Laboon, Crocus decided to take care of him and this lead to the strange conditions the crew had witnessed.

Crocus was finishing the story ''So you see what we have here is a tragedy of epic proportions. Laboon is a lost soul dying to reunite with his friends but it just won't happen. I tried to get him to stop but he just won't listen, this is the only thing I can do to help him.''

''Damn...'' Sanji let out while the rest merely listened, feeling dismay and pity for the whale.

Usopp wanted to think there might be a bright side in this ''Hold on, you don't know for sure...I mean, Laboon trusted them so much...''

''Yeah, but doesn't that make it worse?'' Zoro cut in. ''Let's just say for a minute that some of his friends were here, why haven't they come back? The old man's right, they either abandoned him or died.''

''Sad to say, that's probably right.'' Nami concurred. ''The Grand Line was even more dangerous around those times. Even if some of them did want to come, they just couldn't make it.''

''Oh come on, show some sympathy! I thought this was really touching, I mean that whale's still holding to this faith after so long!'' The sniper exclaimed.

''I didn't want to believe it either.'' Crocus grunted, silencing any protest he might have had. ''But that bit of news was the only thing I could find and they haven't exactly proven it wrong.''

''Still, they went and saddled you with their burden.'' Sanji remarked. ''What do you want to do?''

''I think someone needs to tend to Laboon's wounds and I'm all he has.'' He said simply. ''It's an unusual relationship but it's working out.''

Miguel frowned ''Isn't there some way to have him stop this though...?''

The rest of the Straw Hats also began to wonder. Zoro quickly realized that Luffy had left and went to find him. After a short while, everyone heard Zoro yelp ''What the-? Have you lost it?!''

They shared confused looks and left the lighthouse to find the swordman calling out to Luffy, who was on the Merry's deck. What really threw everyone for a loop was that he broke the ship's mast and used it to hit Laboon.

''What're you doing?!'' Usopp cried while the rest stared on in shock.

Luffy's attention was solely on Laboon, however as he made sure the mast was hanging on the whale and stuck to it before he used that to punch him. Laboon tried to throw him off but Luffy just hung on stubbornly. When Luffy got a kick in, the whale managed to slam him against the lighthouse only for the teen to punch him again.

''It's a draw!'' He suddenly called out to general surprise. Laboon even stopped and stared as he went on. ''I'm stronger than I look, see? You're pretty tough too! Your friends used to spar with you, right? Well, I can give you a good fight just like they did so just wait! I'll travel the Grand Line and get stronger, so I'll be able to give you a great fight when we come back.''

Nami began to smile as the realization of the captain's plan sank in ''Luffy...''

Zoro smirked while Usopp looked like he wanted to cry while Miguel and Sanji grinned. Crocus chuckled ''That kid...he's something else...''

* * *

Luffy wasn't quite done though...

''You want to paint our mark on Laboon?'' Sanji arched an eye.

''Yup! ''

Usopp moaned when he saw the damage their ship ''Did you have to do it like that?''

''What? Everything's okay now.'' Luffy cocked his head.

''No, it isn't!''

He chose to ignore that, turning to the others then ''Hey, where's the paint now?''

''Over here.'' Miguel walked over, holding two buckets. ''I'm painting the mark though.''

''? Why?''

Nami looked curious ''Yeah, you didn't seem anymore enthused to this than we were.''

''Oh, I completely agree with you guys, was it certifiably reckless? Absolutely. But to answer your question, remember the flag?''

This made things fall into place for her, Zoro and Usopp.

''Yeah, go ahead.''

''You're the better choice, definitely.''

Sanji raised an eye ''Can someone clue me in here?''

''In other words, letting Luffy do it might actually be animal cruelty.'' Zoro offered.

The cook began to understand ''He's that bad?''

''Yes.'' Nami and Usopp replied.

''Hey!'' The captain pouted. Crocus merely watched with clear amusement while Laboon waited nearby.

Miguel just laughed ''I'll take care of it. It'll be a chance to heal Laboon up anyway.''

''Oh.'' Luffy's expression made it clear that he hadn't thought of that. ''Good point, okay, go ahead!''

They watched him fly up to the lever Crocus prepped up ''Little change of plans, Laboon, I'll take over.''

* * *

Nami was observing the Log Pose while they waited for Miguel to finish up ''It's finally settled on a direction.''

''Oh, you came prepared. That's good to see. I've seen quite a few youngsters who rushed into this place without the slightest clue.'' Crocus remarked.

''Luckily, one of us did.'' She was more thankful than ever than Miguel had joined their crew now. ''To clarify, some of the basics here are that common sense just doesn't apply and that one should never doubt the Log Pose, right?''

''Exactly.'' He returned. ''There are actually 7 different routes from Reverse Mountain which travel along the Grand Line. The word is, they converge at the island at the very end of the Grand Line, Raftel.''

''At the very end...?'' Sanji blinked. ''So then that would be...''

''Yeah, that's where the One Piece is rumored to be.''

''We'll know soon enough anyway.'' Luffy remarked, making to take another piece of the tuna which Sanji had prepared. He yelped when Zoro grabbed the plate and raised it up. ''Hey!''

''Hey nothing. You ate more than half the thing already, enough.''

''Yeah, don't be selfish! What about the rest of us?'' Nami scowled.

Luffy would've tried to reach out and snag some but then Sanji proceeded to make his opinion clear (in other words: beat him up) for this attempt.

''Don't be greedy! Everyone should taste it!''

Meanwhile, Usopp was watching Miguel put the finishing touches on their makeshift mark. ''Huh, not bad. Nothing on this Captain Usopp's skill but it'll pass.''

''Wow, thanks, o mighty captain.'' Miguel replied blandly, though the two shared a look then and chuckled. ''Well that's that, don't mess it up, okay? It's a sign of your promise.'' Laboon grinned in return.

''Just wait big guy, we'll definitely come back to see you.'' Usopp added.

When they rejoined the others, the first thing they saw was Sanji scolding a weary looking Luffy. Usopp blinked ''What happened?''

''He brought it on himself.'' Nami held out the plate. ''Want some? This is really good.''

''Sure!''

* * *

It was as they prepared to leave that Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday made their return. Zoro frowned, placing a hand on one of his swords ''Back for more?''

''Please wait!'' Miss Wednesday cried. ''We really do need your help.''

Crocus' eyes narrowed ''You've got some nerve.''

''Yeah, no kidding, why should we help you after what you tried to do to Laboon?'' Nami added.

Mr. 9 looked aghast ''You have to understand, we had to do this!''

''Yes, we needed to help our town!'' His companion added. ''Please, we lost our Log Pose because of all this chaos. Can't you take us with you to our home?''

''We won't come near the whale again!'' Mr. 9 added.

''Don't trust those two.'' Crocus said at once. ''I bet they don't mean it.''

''Yeah, we weren't about to.'' Zoro returned.

''Can't we at least take Miss Wednesday?'' Sanji suggested, leaving the woman's teammate shocked. ''I can't leave a beautiful woman like this.''

''You do know she's not a friend, right?'' Usopp asked pointedly. ''This attitude's just going to get you in trouble. What if she hurts you?''

''I'll take it like a man!'' The response had them staring at the blond in surprise and confusion. ''I won't ever raise a hand against a lady, no matter what!''

''Whoa...'' The sniper couldn't think of anything to say besides. ''...what a gentleman.''

Nami merely spared Sanji an annoyed look ''Don't give him too much credit, Usopp. You had the right idea.''

''It's okay,'' Luffy said suddenly. ''Let's take them along.''

''Wait, what?''

''Oi, we can't!''

Miguel thought this over ''...I don't like it but this might be for the best.'' When everyone looked at him, he added. ''We'll technically be ensuring that they stay away from Laboon.''

''That's true...'' Usopp conceded. ''...still...''

''Don't worry too much, we'll work things out.'' Luffy offered.

''If you're sure...'' Crocus paused when the teen nodded. ''...very well. Be careful about your course though, once you choose one, you'll have to stay on it.''

The captain still wasn't fazed ''That's fine, we'll just try a different one next time.'' The doctor smiled at the response.

Miss Wednesday gave a curious look ''So who are you anyway?''

''I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the one who'll become King of the Pirates!''

''King of the Pirates?'' She began to smirk at this and Mr. 9 snickered, both clearly finding the words ridiculous.

Nami spared them a dark look ''Remember that we can still throw you off.'' That shut them up at once.

''Don't mind them so much.'' Miguel thought that if they were to be fazed by people laughing at their dreams, they might not have been here now. ''You heard our captain, we're good to go.''

She exhaled ''Fair enough, let's set sail then.''

As they made to leave, Luffy glanced at Laboon ''Bye, Laboon. Be sure to wait for our rematch, I definitely won't lose!''

The whale grinned back and gave a cry, this one sounded much happier. Crocus smiled ''Seems like a deal to me. Good luck to all of you. The Grand Line may be dangerous but it's also an amazing place, I think you kids will be in for the adventure of the time of a lifetime.''

Luffy grinned ''That sounds awesome!''

Crocus and Laboon watched the crew board their ship, followed by their new guests. Crocus' smile widened as he watched them go about and prepare to sail, waving them goodbye.

''Now this brings me back...'' He mused. ''...they're quite the crew for sure. It's almost they're the ones we've been waiting for. I have a feeling Roger would agree.''

* * *

 _Well, let's stop here._

 _I hope this was good. Since I've had a little free time, I got to put this together. Plot wise, I'm actually starting up with the Little Garden Arc so it'll be back to the drawing board for now._

 _Anywho, thanks for reading so far and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	16. Chapter 16

_beenjammin0421: Yeah, I missed that part until after actually posting the chapter. But then I thought, maybe it could work, you know Nami's so mad that she just slipped up? The point is, she just wanted to know why he spent so much money._

 _I'm not sure how to handle the Alabasta Arc yet but either way, it wasn't like Miguel's having the water sword would make so much difference, with how skilled Crocodile is. Either way, I'm still thinking it all over._

 _C.S. Skywalker: Thanks! I'm glad to hear you think so. I hope I don't wind up making Miguel a Gary Stu, if it does happen, that'd be a complete accident. I'll check out your story soon._

* * *

After the Straw Hats set off from the Lighthouse, the crew worked hard to maintain their course and keep heading towards their next destination with Nami's guidance.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned navigator had decided, along with Usopp, to try and find out more about their guests. Unfortunately, all their attempts at interrogation were effectively going nowhere.

''Would you just leave it alone? We told you all we could!'' Mr. 9 huffed.

''Which is basically nothing!'' Usopp retorted. ''Luffy might be down with you guys coming along but that doesn't mean we can trust you. It only makes sense to fish for information.''

Miss Wednesday gave him an annoyed look ''It can't be helped, secrecy is a very important thing for our work. What does it matter? We won't be here for long anyway. You have bigger things to worry about.''

Nami was about to tell her off but then she began to sense something strange in the air, prompting her to look around carefully. ''I hate to say it but she's right, come on, Usopp. I think we're going to have to adjust our course.''

* * *

It wasn't long before chaos broke out. Things had seemed fine and peaceful at first but boy, they turned around fast. Between the strong winds and turbulent waves, there was quite a lot to handle. And if that weren't bad enough, for some reason, it began to snow and there was even the occasional block of ice in the ocean.

''This is crazy!''

Sanji was shoveling snow off the deck with Miguel's help ''Yeah, just keep working, Luffy!''

The captain made to respond, but then he spotted a particular large piece of ice nearby and so opted to stretch his arm out and throw it away before it collided with the Merry. They kept working to sail through the area to the best of their ability, aided by Miguel, who had to resort to wind and water magic to try and ward it off.

Usopp looked unnerved as he saw how they avoided another iceberg ''Do you have a way to help protect the ship?''

''I thought of that but any shield I can make now would just slow us down.'' Miguel admitted before raising another wave of water to help them proceed.

Luffy grabbed on to the side to keep from slipping ''Nami, how long do we have to go like this?''

''Not long, I don't...'' Nami happened to glance at the Log Pose as she said this, leaving her to cry out as she realized something was very wrong.

''Nami-san, what's wrong?'' Sanji asked.

''We have to turn around, now! We're going the opposite way!''

Luffy blinked ''We are?''

Miguel, who seemed to realize something then, groaned and used gravity magic to alter their course.

''Thanks, Miguel. I don't get what happened though...I just looked away from the Log Pose for a minute...'' Nami trailed off.

''You're not a very good navigator, are you?'' Miss Wednesday scoffed. ''Everyone knows that the Log Pose is the only surefire way to know your bearings while sailing here.''

''No, that was my mistake.'' Miguel started. ''The magnetic waves are pretty fickle, I heard that gets worse when we're between some islands. That's why keeping track of the Log Pose is so important-sorry, I think I forgot to mentiont that.''

''You forgot?!'' Nami and Sanji exclaimed.

He had the grace to look sheepish at this as he apologized again. Nami sighed as she watched him use wind magic to help them sail in the new direction. Well in all fairness she couldn't really hold it against him as he had been busy working hard.

''Just...try to make sure this happens less, okay?''

''Ahaha, right...''

Miss Wednesday raised an eye ''Why isn't he the navigator anyway? He clearly knows what to do.''

''I was born on the Grand Line so I've come to learn about it. Nami can more than handle this anyway.'' was Miguel's response.

The girl smiled at him before directing a dark look at their guest, who stiffened ''All right, I've had enough out of you. Guys, what do you say we make sure they actually earn their stay?''

Usopp looked similarly annoyed with them as he answered ''I think that can be arranged.''

* * *

Eventually, they made it through safely, with some help from Sanji who had to give them provisions to keep up their strength but the rough patch was soon over after that. Now it was back to smooth sailing. Needless to say, the ordeal had left everyone drained.

''We're finally in the clear.'' Nami said tiredly. ''What a disaster.''

''It really was but you were amazing, Nami-san! I'd hate to think of where we'd be without you.'' Sanji stated, elicting a grin in response.

Both quickly noticed Miguel lying against a wall, his breathing a little labored. Sanji blinked ''Hey, you all right?''

''Y-yeah, just winded I guess...using magic like I did back there tends to do that.''

''I think that's understandable but hey, you did great.'' Nami assured.

''Man, I'm glad that's over.'' Usopp sighed.

''But hey we made it!'' Luffy grinned at him.

''Nothing keeps you down for long I see...'' The sniper raised an eye, noticing him look around curiously. ''...what's up?''

''Say, where's Zoro?''

Usopp blinked ''Now that you mention it, I haven't even seen him for a while...''

''Me neither...'' Miguel added as the two started to look. They didn't have to wait long though as the swordsman made his presence known, walking over while muffling a yawn.

''That was some nap.''

Luffy blinked ''Nap?''

''? So then...'' Miguel started. While they were thrown for a loop, their friends were all glowering at Zoro as the realization sank in. He had actually slept through that near-disaster!

''What's the matter with you guys? Don't start lazing about now.'' Zoro went on, missing the three glares directed at him.

Miguel spared him a dry look ''...Unbelievable.''

Zoro raised an eye but decided to move on ''So what about those two weirdos? Where are they?''

''Oh, over there!'' Luffy pointed near the mast, where the exhausted duo lay and watched his first mate approach them.

''So what're you names again?'' He asked, a wicked smirk beginning to settle on his face.

''I-I'm Mr. 9.''

''I'm called Miss Wednesday.''

''Right...so here's the thing, for some reason those names sound really familiar.'' Zoro went on, enjoying how the two seemed unnerved. ''I know I heard something like it before...''

But then something hard and fast hit him on the back of the head, leaving him to look and see that it had been Nami's fist.

''What the heck was that for?!''

''Be glad we're not doing worse, you moron!'' Sanji snapped. ''Calling us lazy? That's rich! We just went through a freaking nightmare-how could you sleep through that?!''

Nami punched him three more times when he simply glared back at them. ''Yeah, you're lucky we didn't throw you overboard for this!''

Zoro pulled himself up ''...What the hell is her problem?''

''No one's going to dignify that with a response.'' Miguel said flatly, leaving him all the more confused. But Nami addressed everyone before could question the remark.

''Everybody, listen up!'' She called. ''I can really see that the Grand Line earned its reputation after this nightmare.'' She paused to shoot Zoro a dark look. ''But even with this, I'll do my best to see us all through!''

''I believe in you, Nami-san!'' Sanji exclaimed.

''We're counting on you!'' Luffy added.

''Hey, chaotic beginnings aside, we're doing pretty good. That counts for something, we'll just try to do better next time.'' Miguel offered.

Usopp, who had gone up to look ahead once he noticed an island in the distance, called out. ''Hey guys, land ho!''

Luffy perked up ''We made it! Our first island in the Grand Line!''

Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday were similarly pleased but for different reasons. ''Time for us to go!''

The two grabbed a pair of rocket like devices before calling out as they flew away ''Bye bye, baby!''

Luffy blinked ''They sure left fast...''

''No kidding.'' Sanji agreed. He couldn't help but wonder, who were they?

* * *

The crew embarked on the island, Whiskey Peak, and immediately encountered a surprise.

This came in the form of the island's inhabitants. Now considering that they were pirates, one might assume that this was a sign for trouble. What actually happened...well, it appeared to be the complete opposite.

''Wow, pirates!''

''So cool! And brave!''

''Yeah, awesome, pirates are the best!''

Yup, the people happily welcomed the Straw Hats to the island. The crew had come across the town's mayor, Igarappoi, who invited them to spend the night. While left understandably confused at first, the crew went along with the idea, mostly due to some of the members' enthusiasm.

''...Am I the only one who finds this really weird?'' Nami whispered to the others as she eyed the crowd.

''Nope.'' Zoro answered at once. ''I think we're just going to have to go along with it though. You-know-who is already loving this.''

He cocked his head at Luffy, who was grinning at the mayor. ''Hey old man, you mean we can really stay?''

''Of course, of course!'' Igarappoi smiled. ''In fact, I'll give you the full welcome treatment of our little town, you'll love it.''

''All right!'' Luffy cheered.

''Hold on, before we go any further, when does the Log Pose reset?'' asked Nami.

''Don't worry about that now, just relax and enjoy yourselves!'' was the mayor's response.

''Okay, let's go! Let's go!'' Luffy told them.

''Yeah, this'll be a blast!'' Usopp smiled.

''I guess it's decided then...'' Miguel trailed off, like Zoro and Nami, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. They really did need to rest and eat so this would help but at the same time...well, they could only hope that everything would be okay.

* * *

The festivities were going strong and everyone was having a good time. Luffy gleefully ate all the food he could reach. Usopp and Miguel managed to get a little food before a few townpeople asked the former to describe their adventures, a request he gladly took on, albeit not without a few exaggerations. The latter went to join Nami and Zoro. Sanji flirted with some girls, though while they listened raptly, trying to include Nami failed miserably as she was completely uninterested.

Zoro got in a drinking contest with a few locals, who tried to rope Nami in but failed. Not that it was about to deter them...

''You sure? We were just deciding what prize to give for the winner. Maybe even a few thousand berris.'' One of them informed.

This did the trick at once. In seconds, Nami was all for it; holding a mug in hand she cried. ''Fill 'er up!''

Zoro rolled his eyes while the others cheered and one of them proceeded to pour her a drink. Igarappoi merely chuckled ''That's more like it.''

Things kept going for a while, with all the participants of the contest getting more and more drunk, only Zoro and Nami appeared to be handling it well. One of the people who decided to watch the contest stared at the two pirates. He glanced at the others, seeing how Luffy was still gorging himself and finally asked.

''How the hell are they still going?!''

''You really can hold your drink, huh?'' Zoro mused.

Nami gave him a smug smirk ''Of course! I grew up out drinking fishmen, those guys never would've stood a chance.''

''Yeah well, you're still not winning here.''

''Ha! We'll see about that.''

''Master Usopp, you're so amazing!'' A girl gushed.

He grinned ''Of course, you've just heard a little of my escapades. Let me tell you about the time I faced a giant condor...''

''Come to think of it, where's Miguel anyway?'' Zoro asked after a few moments.

''Hey yeah, wasn't he just here?'' Nami looked around.

''He went to rest in the house next door.'' Igarappoi replied. ''Seems you've had quite the rough journey to get here, your friend looked tired.''

''Oh...'' Nami trailed off, thinking of how his skill with magic had been a big factor in getting through that chaotic area. ''...can't say I blame him, he's earned it.'' She cast an annoyed look at Zoro. ''Of course, some of us weren't quite lucky enough to avoid that disaster.''

''What're you...'' He didn't get to finish as she elbowed him sharply.

''Just...shut up.'' She hissed, taking a swig out of her mug then. Both missed Igarappoi turning to leave, his expression turning into a wicked grin.

* * *

A while later...

''I can't believe it took this long to work...'' A woman with pink hair shook her head as they stood near the entrance of the building where the celebrations took place. ''...I was beginning to think we'd have to nix the whole plan, Mr. 8.''

Igarappoi, or Mr. 8 chuckled. ''I told you, you're just too impatient sometimes, Miss Monday. As they say you capture more bees with honey than vinegar.''

''Fair enough.'' She turned slightly as Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 joined them. ''Well earlier mishaps aside, you did help pull this off.''

''We had to do something.'' The blue haired girl stated. ''Are you sure we can make this work, Mr. 8?''

''We will.'' He returned firmly. ''It's already settled, we'll finish them all off soon and claim the captain's bounty.''

''About that...is he really such a big deal?'' Mr. 9 asked.

''See for yourself.'' Miss Monday held up Luffy's wanted poster.

''Th-thirty million?! You've got to be kidding me! That knuckle head of a kid?''

His partner was bewildered ''It does seem hard to believe...''

''Okay, so we mug them all and hand the captain over to the marines. When do we start?'' Miss Monday asked.

''Now.'' Igarappoi answered.

''About that...'' they stilled at the familiar voice as the building's door opened to reveal Zoro. ''...I'll have to ask you to hold off those plans. They're all wornout after the day we had.''

''H-how...?'' Miss Wednesday stared. ''Weren't you supposed to be drunk?!''

''Please,'' he scoffed. ''...I wouldn't be much of a swordsman if I got drunk from a little alcohol.''

Igarappoi scowled ''It makes no difference. You can't possibly take us all on!''

''Wanna bet?'' Zoro retorted. ''Some of us figured things were off but now it really falls into place for me. No wonder those names sounded familiar...you're all bounty hunters who lure pirates in with this friendly act before robbing them blind. Isn't that right, agents of Baroque works?''

The man stilled ''How did you know?!''

''One of your agents found me a few years ago and suggested that I join you. I wouldn't go for it but I've come to learn how your little organization works after that day. You all use code names and are usually paired with a man and woman on each team. You guys don't even know who you work for, right?''

''Even if you know this, we're still capturing you all right now!'' Miss Monday declared.

''Good luck with that.'' Zoro returned. ''We've already handled your buddies over there and your pal from back then wasn't anything special. Think you can top them?''

''Oh, most certainly,'' Igaram smirked. ''Let's see how you fare against a 100 bounty hunters then!''

At the call, people began coming out of alleys and a few buildings nearby, making for quite a crowd. Despite that, Zoro appeared calm as he drew on his blades.

''Bring it!''

* * *

Zoro smirked as he dodged a round of bullets flying at him before cutting the two shooters down. Seeing one charging with a club, he side stepped the weapon before quickly disposing of him.

He attacked two swordsmen nearby, quickly cutting them down with Sandai Kitetsu. The swordsman noted how his attack also destroyed their blades. ''Those are some really lousy swords. You're not of much bounty hunters, huh?''

When more bounty hunters rushed at him, he took up a stance.

''Three Sword Style: Hawk Wave!''

In a few minutes, it was becoming very clear that Zoro completely outmatched all the bounty hunters. In fact, it wasn't very long before he defeated everyone in his way.

''N-no way!'' Mr. 9's jaw dropped.

''He's barely even winded.'' Miss Wednesday noted. ''Just how is he so strong?''

''No wonder they tried to scout him before...'' Her partner trailed off.

Igarappoi scowled ''You might have won so far but the end result won't change!''

''Yeah...'' Miss Monday smirked. ''...actually, shouldn't you go check on your friend? I imagine he could be in quite a bind now.''

Zoro raised an eye ''What do you...?'' He suddenly recalled what Igarappoi said about Miguel heading off to a different place and swore; realizing that since he was just as tired, if not maybe more than the others, he was an easier target.

Wasting no time, he made to head over to the house but the four agents blocked his path. Zoro's eyes narrowed as he spotted two of the bounty hunters having entered the destination.

Igarappoi smirked ''Not so fast.''

''You little...!'' He grit his teeth.

Miss Monday charged at him with a fist aimed at his face while Miss Wednesday attacked with her chakram like weapons while rushing on a big yellow duck.

''Careful now,'' she purred. ''We wouldn't want your head to be cut off by my Peacock Slashers would we?''

He cut Miss Monday's side before elbowing the blue haired girl and knocking her down. Just as he made to advance, he was forced to dodge Mr. 9's club before Igarappoi stepped up.

''Igarappa!'' The man blew on a saxophone, which surprisingly enough, sent out a scatter shot of bullets. Zoro deflected all those that came nearby, though a few grazed him.

''Dammit, I've gotta get there...'' He grunted.

''You don't have time to worry about others!'' Igarappoi taunted, firing another attack.

* * *

Miguel, who had woken up with all the chaos from the battle reaching him, made to head to the door. Just what was going on?

Bracing himself, he approached the exit, only to be surprised when the trap he had set before going to sleep activated...

* * *

Zoro and the four agents were surprised when the bounty hunters were swept away from the house by a powerful wave of water that spun around and knocked them out.

''What just happened?!'' Mr. 9 cried.

Miguel stepped out next, pausing in surprise as he recognized the two agents they had brought here ''...So I guess our suspicions were all on the berri, Zoro?''

''Afraid so.'' The first mate replied. ''Out of curiosity, what was that?''

''I left a trap nearby. It's a lacrima set to activate with anyone besides you guys. There's two others in that house near the others.''

''Nice.'' Zoro grinned. He already knew that Miguel had found something suspicious just like they did but he took a moment to appreciate the wizard's resourcefulness.

Miss Wednesday looked unnerved. If one trap did that much, then...''S-so if we had actually entered...''

''You would've gotten the worst of it just like your buddies here did.'' Miguel confirmed. ''Come on, this whole thing was really suspicious. I wasn't about to leave things as they were. We would've had to play along anyway since Luffy liked the sound of your idea so much.''

''Too true.'' Zoro agreed. ''Someone has to keep an eye on him since he's such a trouble magnet.''

Miss Monday's eyes narrowed ''Well then, we'll just have to deal with the two of you now!'' She charged at Miguel, who surprised her by knocking her off balance with telekinesis and elbowing her side before knocking her down.

Igarappoi fired another round of bullets but Miguel forced them to hit the ground with a wave of gravity magic. He drew on his ice sword and struck the man down with White Roar. When Miss Monday attacked again, he blocked her fist with the sheath, which left her shuddering in surprise as she felt how cold it was. Miguel struck her in the gut with with said item before cutting her down.

''He...he beat them both just like that?'' Miss Wednesday seemed stunned while Mr. 9's jaw dropped.

''You don't have time to be worried about others.'' Zoro stated, taking a stance. ''Tiger Hunt!''

The attack caught both agents at once, knocking the shocked duo down. This left Zoro and Miguel free to talk.

''So what's going on?'' The second inquired.

''I'll tell you on the way, we better go grab the others.'' was Zoro's response.

''Right.''The two headed off, missing Miss Wednesday staring at them. If one looked at her expression closely then, they would describe as a mixture of awe and hope.

'They're powerful. Maybe...they can help us fight Baroque Works...'

* * *

 _Okay, let's stop here._

 _I hope this was good. I've been having quite a hard time lately so this is a way to get me back in the spirit of things. For now though, it's back to the drawing board for me._

 _Thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	17. Chapter 17

_beenjammin0421: Thanks. Actually, I DID specify the technique and it was White Roar. About my pokemon story, the gym challenge is in the next chapter._

* * *

It didn't take Miguel and Zoro long to find that while Usopp and Sanji were still deep asleep, there was no sign of Luffy or Nami. Thus the two agreed to split up and search for their wayward friends.

The four agents were trying to decide what to do. They knew something had to change fast or there would be big trouble, failure is not tolerated in their organization and it could very well mean their lives. Either way, their next decisions could certainly influence said lives heavily.

Little did they know that the matter was already out of their hands, due to two new arrivals on the island.

* * *

Nami, who had in fact woken up just a little while ago, had decided to take the opportunity and fish for some information and money while she was at it.

That was what lead to her finding out the truth about the bounty hunters as she happened to overhear Mr. 9 and Miss Monday talking as they went over to Miss Wednesday.

'A town full of bounty hunters, huh? At least this explains why I don't see Zoro and Miguel anywhere...' She was certainly relieved to learn that said trouble had been handled.

As she watched the three carefully, something struck her as odd. Miss Monday and Mr. 9 seemed understandably frustrated with the turn of events but Miss Wednesday didn't seem to care. If anything, the girl seemed a bit more relaxed from the time she saw her before.

No, Nami shook her head, she had to be imagining that right? It didn't make sense...

Before the navigator got to think on this much, she spotted Luffy running down a set of stairs, seeming rather angry.

She blinked ''What's with him?''

* * *

Just as Nami left to chase after the rubber teen, the three agents found a surprise. A man with dark messy hair and sunglasses wearing a trenchcoat and a blonde woman with a lemon colored dress and a matching umbrella were making their way over.

''Mr. 5, Miss Valentine!'' Miss Monday exclaimed.

''Oh, I didn't expect to see you here but this is good news! Could you help us?'' Mr. 9 inquired.

Miss Valentine laughed ''You must be joking. Why on earth would we help losers like you? I'm amazed you have the nerve to face us like that after your failure.''

''Hmph, agreed.'' Mr. 5 scoffed. ''To think that not only so many of our billions but even the four of you would fall so easily.''

Mr. 9 cringed ''B-but that was...''

''...You're obviously sent all the way here for a reason. What is it?'' Miss Wednesday asked after a few moments.

''Funny _you_ should ask, Miss Wednesday.'' Miss Valentine smirked. ''The boss wants us to dispose of a couple of traitors...and what luck, we're already off to get a good start!''

* * *

Zoro wound up finding Luffy, but it lead to something he never would have seen coming. For some reason, the captain was angry and he refused to listen to anything Zoro tried to say.

''How could you be so ungrateful?!''

''What're you even talking about?'' Zoro demanded as he dodged another punch.

''Don't play dumb. I'll beat you up for this!'' Luffy growled.

''Fine!'' Frankly, Zoro had enough. He decided to try knocking some sense into him. Tying his headband on, the swordsman knew he wasn't about to put up with this a second longer. ''We'll do things your way.''

* * *

As luck would have it, Nami wound up finding Mr. 8, who oddly enough, seemed rather relieved.

''There you are!''

Nami quickly prepared her staff ''You still want to fight? Your secret's already out in the open.''

''No, no don't misunderstand! I was hoping to find you and the others to talk!'' He said quickly.

''What's that mean?''

''Miss Wednesday and I have infiltrated Baroque Works to discover some information, we have no loyalty to its boss. If anything, he is the man trying to destroy our country!''

Whatever she expected, it certainly wasn't that, so she waited for him to go on. ''My real name is Igaram, the captain of Alabasta's royal guard.''

Nami raised an eye ''Assuming I believe that for now, what's someone like you doing here?''

''That's just it. You see, Baroque Works' boss is in our home now. The kingdom of Alabasta is in civil war and he is at the center of it, we entered the organization to find out who he was and hopefully find a way to stop him. We couldn't find any other way.''

''Those are some drastic measures...'' Nami trailed off, thing is, no matter how she looked, she couldn't see any sign of him lying. Heck, she couldn't think of any reason why he would lie about this. ''...so who is Miss Wednesday? With someone of your station, it kinda seems like she's pretty high up there too.''

''That's right. She is in fact her royal highness Princess Nefertari Vivi.'' Igaram replied. ''Which is why I needed to find you and your friends, I'd like to ask for your help in this crisis.''

''Well...we are pirates, you know, kind of too much to expect us to do this so easily for nothing-especially after you tried to kill us...'' Nami said slowly.

''I won't argue there but please you have to understand...''

''All right, all right.'' She cut him off. ''Tell you what, we'll do it for 1 billion berri!''

''W-what?''

''Come on, you work for royalty, that must be pocket change for them!''

''I...I can't promise such a price, I'm only a soilder.'' Igaram admitted. ''Vivi-sama would be able to help more on that front.''

Nami figured that made sense ''Fair enough. Where is she then?''

* * *

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine continued chasing Vivi and her duck, Carue as they ran through the streets of Whiskey Peak. She couldn't believe how things turned out. They had been discovered and then Mr. 9, instead of helping them like she thought he would have, actually sacrificed himself for her. She hadn't thought he'd ever do it but the man truly thought of her as a friend and the worst part was, there wasn't much she could do...

Vivi's eyes widened when she saw another familiar figure stand on the path she and Carue had just taken, focused on the other two agents. ''M-Miss Monday?''

''Go!'' The woman said, not looking at her. ''Don't throw Mr. 9's sacrifice away. We've already failed and I know what that means so if I go down, I choose to do it while fighting for a friend.''

''Miss Monday...'' She uttered again, floored. The thing is, she really wanted to help but she had to go, she couldn't stay here when her country's fate depended on it. She had to get to the docks.

Thus, she steeled her heart again and urged Carue to hurry onwards.

* * *

As it just so happened Miguel, Vivi and Carue were the first to run into the chaos of the battle between Luffy and Zoro. This left them understandably bewildered at first, since they couldn't even see what was going on. But before they knew it, they quickly had to do their best to avoid being hit.

This wound up leading to them almost falling near a side and cringing in pain. Miguel sat up with a groan, having been thrown far back due to his attempt to dodge the chaos. ''Was I seeing things or was that Luffy?''

Another groan brought his attention to his left, where a familiar figure sat up ''Ugh, that was close. What is with that guy?''

His eyes widened when he saw Vivi near a set of straits with Carue not too far away. She glanced back at the area where the two fought ''That was Straw Hat and Roronoa Zoro, right, Carue?'' The duck nodded. ''That's strange...why are they fighting?''

Miguel frowned as he looked back, wondering the same thing. What was going on?

''Princess!'' Igaram ran over. ''Thank goodness, you're all right. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine...''

''I know. I was hoping to find you, we need to get out of here and more importantly find a way to Alabasta!'' Vivi cut in. ''Mr. 9 and Miss Monday...they saved me, I don't want to waste their efforts...''

''I see...'' Igaram grimaced at the thought of their partners, they truly were loyal.

Miguel hid behind a wall and watched, thinking it was lucky they hadn't noticed him 'Princess? But that's Miss Wednesday for sure...what's going on?'

''Then it's all the more imperative that we proceed, milady.'' Igaram said firmly. ''I have a plan that should do the trick. Please trust me and keep going, I think I've found people who could help us stop Baroque Works and save our country.''

''...All right.'' Vivi relented and made to leave.

While he was wondering what was going, Miguel knew he couldn't stay here for long and so hurried back to where his friends were.

He was rather irked to find that it was just as Vivi had mentioned and Zoro and Luffy had been fighting. For some reason, both seemed to be rather worked up and Luffy in particular was saying something about making Zoro pay. Miguel had a feeling that talking wouldn't work so he trapped Luffy in mid-air with Telekinesis magic, getting their attention.

''Enough already.'' He said. ''What is this about, Luffy?''

''That's what I want to know! Why did Zoro beat those people up?!''

Miguel sighed ''Did it ever occur to you to listen and that he might have a good reason?''

''There's no reason for that! They're good people, they gave us delicious food!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''That's your reasoning?'' Miguel said flatly. ''Luffy, those good people? They're actually bounty hunters who wanted to kill us all.''

''Ehhhh?!''

''I tried explaining but you never listened, moron!'' Zoro snapped.

The teen just laughed ''What a funny mix-up!''

This made Zoro hit him with the hilt of one of his swords once Miguel let him down ''What the hell is wrong with your sense of humor?!''

''Guys!'' Nami ran over. ''I've been looking all over-whoa, what happened here?''

''Just had to deal with a certain moron's mess again.'' Zoro grumbled.

''But you fought too, Zoro.'' Luffy stated.

''It's not like you left me any choice!''

''Anyway, what is it, Nami?'' Miguel prompted.

''Right, did you see those agents anywhere?'' The question left the three confused. ''You'll never guess what I found, looks like there's a lot going on here.''

''Like with those weirdoes we pushed out of the fight?'' Luffy wondered.

Zoro blinked ''Oh yeah...the way they were talking, it's just like those other four...''

''And you didn't see anything off about that?'' Nami demanded. ''I swear, you two are hopeless...''

''Shut up! He was pissing me off, besides where you are going with this?''

''Look, I'll explain in a bit but if you see...''

''Hey, look!'' The two turned to Luffy in surprise, seeing him point at something in the air. It was Miss Valentine, who growled when she saw them.

''I think I'll leave the princess to Mr. 5 for now. I want those bastards to pay. Crescendo Stone!''

Surprised, the four quickly got out of the way when she suddenly descended with great force and speed, causing a crater on the ground.

''What, you're up already? That was fast.'' Luffy remarked.

She growled ''You just got a lucky shot, Straw Hat, it won't happen again!''

* * *

While trying to make her way through, Vivi found her obstructed by another fight. This time she was surprised to see that it was between Luffy and Miss Valentine, and the former was winning!

He made it look so easy too. Miss Valentine was dangerous because of her skill with that devil fruit of hers but even with any attack she tried, Luffy was more than ready. When she tried to increase her weight and attack, the teen threw her off by sending her spinning with his rubbery arm before she could finish and then his follow up punch sent her flying.

The princess found herself watching in awe, to think he was this powerful. Any doubts she had about Luffy earning his bounty were long gone...

She quickly realized what a mistake staying there was when she heard Mr. 5's voice ''I found you, you're not getting away this time, traitor.''

She stiffened and turned around in time to see the man aim a gun at her and fired. The next thing both of them knew, the explosive bullet was halted by what appeared to be a dome of water.

Vivi was more than a little bewildered to see Miguel standing in front of her, a sword raised towards Mr. 5.

''...Hmph, I was planning on dealing with you filthy pirates after finishing our objective but it's no matter. I'll simply have to finish the both of you.''

''Sounds like you're cocky just like the others. It won't be as easy as you think.'' Miguel remarked.

''Why are you...?'' Vivi started.

The wizard kept his gaze on the other agent but answered quietly ''I don't really know all the details but I've heard part of your talk before. You're not really with them, right? That's good enough reason for now.''

''I-I see...thank you.''

''Enough talk. Breeze Breath Bomb!'' Mr. 5 snapped.

Miguel leveled his sword ''Pulse Wave.'' A blue circle flashed before sending out a pulse forth, a sudden wave of water surged a moment later that over took the attack. Before the man quite knew it, Miguel charged in and stunned him with a hit to the gut with his sheath before using Thousand Raid. Mr. 5 tried to cause another explosion with the opposition so close but Miguel again negated it with a wave of his water sword.

He stabbed said sword in the ground, raising a torrent that sent his opponent into the air. Growling, Mr. 5 tried to cause another explosion but it was clearly hard considering how wet he was. Using Requip, Miguel switched to his earth sword.

''Rock Trine!''

A bronze spell circle flashed and a number of strong projectiles rammed the agent then, sending him crashing down and soon he was knocked out cold.

''Amazing...'' Vivi trailed off.

''Hehe, see Nami? I told you Miguel can handle him!'' Luffy's voice brought attention to the three new arrivals as they caught up.

''Nice work!'' The navigator beamed at him. ''We kind of caught up to everything I never got to explain but we're in luck. We stumbled on a mega deal!''

Miguel gave her a quizzical look, not missing Zoro rolling his eyes behind her.

Nami looked at Miss Wednesday ''We talked to your friend. He wants us to help you get home.''

''Eh? W-wait, where is Igaram anyway?''

''Beats me, he said something about a plan and said to meet near the port.'' Zoro offered.

The girl looked curious. A plan? Well, he did mention something along those lines but...''...What does she mean stumble on a mega deal?''

''Oh, that...'' The swordsman looked unimpressed.

''We offered to accept his request for a billion beris.'' Nami informed, surprising her and Miguel. ''You're a princess. That should be pocket change to you.''

''Wait, it's not that simple!'' She said quickly. ''Besides, my country's in a civil war now...''

''Civil war?'' Miguel echoed. ''Then why on earth would you get into this organization now?''

''Because they're the ones behind it.'' She answered. ''I knew something was off at home. Igaram and I left to find out information about their plans so we could work to stop them. And it worked...'' Her expression darkened. ''...Baroque Works' goal is to build a utopia. But it's not nearly as good as it sounds, they're going to destroy Alabasta! My country and its people have suffered so much because of them.''

Silence reigned as everyone took the facts in. Luffy spoke after a few seconds ''Say, that yellow lady said something about a boss. Who's that?''

''The boss' identity?!'' The recently revealed princess looked alarmed. ''You can't ask me that! If I tell, your lives will be in terrible danger!''

''Why?''

''Just leave it alone, Luffy!'' Nami snapped.

The captain cocked his head ''But I'm only asking, is he so strong?''

''Yes!'' The princess replied. ''He's also feared by many. For good reason...that's why I don't want to tell you about Crocodile...''

Nami blinked and Luffy seemed curious while Zoro and Miguel exchanged glances before the former spoke ''...You just told us, you know.''

The girl was already aware of her slip, judging by her alarmed and increasingly guilty expression.

'''Why would you do that?!'' Nami cried.

''I'm sorry!''

Luffy frowned ''Who's Crocodile?''

''Trouble, big trouble.'' Miguel stated tersely. ''He's another of the Seven Warlords.''

''I heard of them too.'' Zoro crossed his arms. ''They're elite pirates. Their bounties were frozen by the government in exchange for an agreement for their aid...Mihawk's another of the seven.''

''So he's really tough. Cool!''

''Heh, things are getting interesting.''

''Are you guys nuts?!'' Nami exclaimed.

Miguel seemed to share her sentiment ''Guys, that's not nearly as good as you believe it to be. Remember what happened to Krieg? If we take this lightly, we'll be lucky to wind up like that.''

''Exactly!'' Nami agreed, having heard all about the incident from Usopp. ''You said it yourself, Zoro. They're elites!''

''Don't worry about it so much. We'll have to deal with one eventually.'' Luffy said lightly.

''Well, someone has to since you clearly don't care!'' Nami groaned. ''I swear you're going to give me gray hairs soon...''

Zoro exhaled ''Look, for now...'' He blinked. ''...ah, hey guys? Is it just me or are those animals drawing us?''

The princess gasped ''They're the Unluckies! They came here to gather information about us to tell Crocodile!''

''What!?'' Nami paled as the bird began to fly. ''We have to stop them!''

Something flashed and both animals were held in mid-air by a glowing aura which seemed to lift the otter up as well, bringing attention to Miguel.

''Nice going!'' Zoro smirked, amused by their shock.

Miguel kept his eyes on the unluckies ''Bear in mind that I could have done worse. Enemy or not, I'd rather not kill you. Forget everything you saw here and leave or stay, that doesn't matter. You're not telling him anything.'' His eyes narrowed as he leveled his sword.

* * *

''That's better!'' Nami felt relieved as they had finished tying the currently unconsious animals with rope and making sure to destroy anything that could tip Baroque works off.

They'd gone on to find Igaram, only to see a surprise at once...

''Igaram...what are you wearing?'' Vivi asked, voicing the common question through the group's head. He was dressed up in some of her clothes with a wig and some lipstick. Was he pretending to be her?

''I'm going to lure them away, Princess.''

''Sounds like you're on to something, you look just like her!'' Luffy said.

''Like who, exactly?'' Zoro wondered while Nami gave the captain an odd look.

''Igaram...'' Vivi looked troubled.

''...Are you sure about this?'' Miguel was pensive, though his tone proved he was worried. ''You could just as easily come along.''

''I appreciate your concern, young man but it's just fine. I know what I must do.'' Igaram stated. ''Please see to it that she returns home safely.''

''Leave it to us!'' Luffy assured.

''Luffy!'' Nami exclaimed. She still wasn't sure about this, it was so much trouble and their deal most likely wasn't going to go through. Why should they do it?

''Relax, Nami, it'll be fine.'' The captain returned.

''My princess, remember what we agreed to. I have the eternal pose so you'll have to take the island hopping route to Alabasta, it should be about three or four islands I believe. I will see you at our home.'' He declared, Vivi nodded back and he smiled. The boat began to sail. Almost a minute later, the vessel blew up.

''What the...?!'' Zoro exclaimed while the rest recoiled in shock.

''Igaram!'' Vivi screamed.

''Guys, we have to go!'' Luffy commanded.

''Right!''

Nami quickly noticed that Vivi hadn't moved, though she could tell that the girl was still in shock. She hugged her ''It's okay. We'll help you, come on!''

* * *

Luffy wound up picking Usopp and Sanji along, who just woke up while they were at the Going Merry. Zoro looked at Nami and Vivi, who seemed to be arguing.

''Hey, what's the hold up?''

''She doesn't want to leave without her duck!'' Nami called back.

''I lost track of him in all this mess, I don't know where...''

''Ah, about that...'' Miguel pointed near the mast, where Carue stood calmly.

''HE'S HERE?!'' The two cried.

''We have to leave already?'' Sanji groaned.

''Aw, come on, it was so much fun!'' Usopp whined. ''Let's stay a little longer!''

''I told you, we can't!'' Luffy returned.

''Why?!''

''It already took you idiots this long to wake up, quit complaining!'' Nami grumbled.

Zoro rolled his eyes ''Can you explain?''

''Sure.'' She proceeded to punch the two on the head.

Zoro blinked ''That was...quick.''

''I left out the complicated parts.'' Nami said simply.

''I see...'' Sanji uttered when they were brought up to speed. He looked at Vivi ''...you've been through an awful lot, haven't you? I'll be delighted to help however I can. I'm sorry I missed all this.''

''I'm not.'' Usopp said quietly. ''So now we have to deal with this organization too? Great...''

''It's fine, we can take 'em!'' Luffy said confidently.

''How are you so calm? This is a Warlord we're talking about here!''

''Well, this is interesting...'' A new voice said, making them all start and looked around before finding a black haired woman with tanned skin and blue eyes watching them with a small smile.

Vivi glared at her ''Miss All-Sunday!''

''Why hello, Miss Wednesday, I just saw Mr. 8. Did you run into each other?'' She returned calmly, leaving the princess angrier.

''So she's another agent. Who's her partner?'' Nami demanded.

''The boss, Mr. 0! We followed her to find more information.''

''To be more accurate, I let you follow me.'' Miss All-Sunday informed.

''Oh, so she's a good guy.'' Luffy concluded.

''Of course not! Didn't you hear what was just said?'' Zoro grabbed his swords while Nami prepared her staff. ''Here for a fight, huh?''

Miss All-Sunday smirked and before they knew it, their weapons were knocked out of their hands and they glimpsed what looked like petals for a second. Nami was alarmed as she reached for her staff, seeing that she also managed to knock the revolver and slingshot away from Sanji and Usopp ''So she's a devil fruit user?''

''But what kind of power is this?'' Usopp wondered.

''Wow...looking at her like this, I can see she's beautiful!'' Sanji swooned.

''Is this the time?!'' The two snapped.

Miss All-Sunday appeared rather bemused, even when Vivi tried to attack her and she somehow managed to put that to a stop with little effort. She stiffened for a moment, noting the floating sword that was leveled at her. It didn't take her long to pick out the owner, who was staring her down.

''What do you think you're doing, Miguel?! Don't point that at her!'' Sanji snapped.

''In case you forgot she's the enemy.'' Now Miguel was all for respecting women but only up to a point. He could tell this woman was not to be taken lightly or else they would regret it.

''Ah, so you have a wizard in your ranks.'' Miss All-Sunday remarked. ''I take it you had something to do with the Unluckies' disappearance?''

''Wouldn't you like to know.'' He said flatly. ''Well, what is this supposed to be, a gloating session?''

She smirked, clearly amused by his behavior ''Afraid not. I was merely...curious, let's say. You're certainly an interesting group after all. Don't get so worked up, I'm only here to observe. I don't have any orders to deal with you. I heard what you were up to. I mean a princess hoping to win against Baroque works...it just sounded so ridiculous that I had to see for myself. I let you two follow me to see where you were heading with that harebrained scheme, I never realized how right I was until now.''

Vivi glowered at her for a moment, almost missing the arm that appeared on her but Miguel didn't and so he leveled his sword closer once he pulled Vivi back.

''You sure you want to try that?'' Miguel demanded, knowing that while he didn't understand how her powers worked, he could do his best to stop her. Her powers and her confidence made him wonder how much of an advantage she had here, that was what had him hesitating on whether to attack or not.

Miss All-Sunday hummed ''Well, seems like we're in a bit of a stalemate. As I said, I'm not here to fight but I'd rather avoid such a situation.''

''You're not in a position to choose.''

''Fair enough.'' She looked at Luffy. ''So you're Monkey D. Luffy, I heard a lot about you.'' The captain frowned back. ''You've got quite a terrible luck, picking up a princess targeted by Baroque Works. Let's see where this luckmay bring you.''

''Leave now, evil...doer!'' Usopp called, hiding behind the mast.

''Seriously?'' Zoro gave him a look. Evil doer? Really?

''That's all a matter of opinion.'' Miss All-Sunday tossed an item to Luffy, who caught it, now puzzled. ''That's an eternal pose, it's set to Nanimonai Island, which isn't too far from Alabasta.''

Nami blinked ''Wait, so she really was good?''

''Fat chance. This has to be a trap.'' Zoro stated.

''Do you really want to take that chance?'' Miss All-Sunday returned.

Vivi looked like she was wondering the same thing. While she couldn't work out why the woman would help, this seemed like quite a boon in the situation. An eternal pose set to somewhere near her home would be far more reliable than the island hopping route. Should she...?

''And we're supposed to believe anything you say because why?'' Miguel demanded.

Both were distracted when Luffy smashed the item against the deck. ''Forget this thing! We don't need it!''

''Why would you do that?!'' Nami punched him. ''Maybe she really was trying to help!''

Luffy just frowned at Robin ''She doesn't get to decide where the ship goes.''

''Well, that's too bad.'' Robin returned as she walked along the deck.

''She killed that funny old man and he was nice so now I hate her.'' Luffy stated.

''I'm sorry to hear that. Also that you didn't accept my offer...Should you survive, I hope we meet again.'' Robin turned to leave.

''Nope.''

''Don't be so rude!'' Sanji snapped. Robin merely smiled though and jumped off the ship, letting them see that she landed on a giant sea turtle going back to Whiskey Peak.

''Whoa, cool!'' Luffy exclaimed, watching the creature.

''So that's one of the organization's heads then? She must be pretty confident in herself to face everyone like this.'' Miguel stated.

''Yeah...it's always like this with her. I just can't figure that woman out!'' Vivi grimaced.

''Never mind that, just what is going on?'' Usopp demanded.

''No need to worry, lovely lady! I'll help you with whatever you need!'' Sanji cooed at Vivi, who appeared takenaback.

''Excuse me?'' Vivi said meekly. ''I'm sorry but...is it really all right that I'm here? I'm just causing you trouble.''

''Well, there's no point thinking this over now. We'll help you like we agreed.'' Miguel offered.

''Yeah, besides it's a little late for apologies. If you didn't want to cause us trouble you shouldn't have told us who you were for starters!'' Nami poked her in the forehead.

''Sorry...''

''Well, for now, we know we're heading.'' Zoro remarked.

''Yeah, let's go to Little Garden!'' Luffy called out.

* * *

 _Welp, that's about it._

 _Hope you liked this, for now I'm going to be retreating to sort out some plans. I'm practically done with Little Garden and I have a couple of ideas for the Drum Island Arc but I don't know how I'm going to handle Alabasta's arc just yet so...yeah, back to the drawing board. Till next time!_


	18. Chapter 18

Having left Whiskey Peak and acquired their new guests Princess Vivi and her pet duck Carue, the Straw Hats were now on their way to bring the two to Alabasta. Their current destination along the island hopping route was the mysterious island, Little Garden.

One would never know the crew was hunted by a criminal organization with the way they were acting now. Vivi couldn't help but think as she watched them all. Luffy and Usopp were goofing off while talking about fishing and Zoro had gone off to train, Nami was focused on a map she had gotten minutes ago and Sanji had just finished making juice, as he was happy to declare while dancing to the two girls.

Luffy and Usopp started whining when they learned that Sanji hadn't brought them any juice, leaving the cook to tell them off in annoyance. But Miguel, who had already guessed what was going on, went to the kitchen to get some for everyone.

''Lazy idiots...'' Sanji huffed before looking at Miguel. ''...don't be too nice to them. Last thing we need is people overindulging them.''

''I'll keep that in mind.'' He returned, bemused as he tried the juice. ''This is really good.''

''Heh, thanks! Just trying out a new idea.'' The cook smirked before lovingly offering Nami a drink.

Thanking the cook, Nami took her offered tray before noting Vivi's expression ''What's wrong?''

''They're acting like idiots!''

''Here. This could help.'' Nami gave her a glass. ''Just relax. These guys may go through their goofy phases but when thing get rough they get to work. I've seen enough to believe it.''

''Try not to overthink this.'' Miguel walked over. ''While being cautious is good, worrying about the situation all the time won't do you any favors.''

''That's true...'' Vivi looked down. ''...sorry...I don't know what's wrong. I really am overreacting.''

''Yeah, this ship will put you at ease. You'll cheer up in no time.'' Nami assured.

They noticed how Carue fell on his back, having drank too much juice, a fountain of which erupted from his mouth. Vivi began to smile ''They're...funny.''

''Annoying is more like it to me but sure let's go with that.'' The navigtor conceded.

Miguel chuckled ''Now we're getting somewhere. We've already agreed to help, remember, Princess? That means we'll give it all our effort.''

Vivi's smile grew ''Right...thank you.''

* * *

The princess soon began to see just how effective of a team the crew was when a giant dolphin swam by. With Nami's directions, they worked together to get the Merry in a position where they took advantage of the waves it caused to gain speed. It made for quite a sight, especially considering the atmosphere earlier.

''Man, that could've been bad...why're you're so calm?!'' Usopp exclaimed, staring at Miguel.

''I was born here, you know? I've got some idea about what we're going to deal with.'' Miguel shrugged. ''We made pretty good use of it anyway, right?''

''Yeah, those waves it made really got us going. Come to think of it, Nami-san, where is Elysia anyway?'' Sanji asked curiously.

''Hm? Oh, it's pretty far, we've just gotten past the entrance of the Grand Line.''

''We've got to go see Miguel's home some time!'' Luffy exclaimed enthusiastically.

''I'm actually interested too.'' Nami admitted. ''What kind of place is it?''

''Well...''

''Hey, don't spoil the surprise. We should wait!'' Luffy cut the wizard off.

Miguel looked amused at this ''Well then, how about we focus on what we're dealing with now?''

''That would be best.'' Vivi agreed. ''By the way, I've been wondering-pirates are usually assigned roles and stations to work accordingly. I've seen how you all operate but it still looks a little vague.''

''I guess it kind of is in a sense...'' Nami crossed her arms. ''...well, we're not your conventional pirates anyway.''

''Haha, true.'' Usopp agreed. ''Well, you know Nami's the navigator and Sanji's the cook. I'm the crew's sniper, though I'm more than ready to handle being a captain as it's nothing for this great warrior of the sea!''

Nami rolled her eyes and Sanji snorted as he spoke ''You, a captain?''

''Yeah, right.'' The two said in tandem.

''Hey!'' Usopp glared at them.

Luffy just chuckled, Nami had long decided that he wasn't taking Usopp's declarations to this matter seriously, not that she blamed him. ''Anyway, we're still looking to fill more positions obviously.'' She told Vivi. ''I think Zoro's the unofficial first mate and I'm not sure where that leaves Miguel. Luffy doesn't really think about that kind of thing.''

''That's because it's no big deal.'' The captain stated.

''Says the one who keeps harping on about wanting a musician to join us.'' Usopp deadpanned.

''Pirates like to sing!''

Sanji decided to ignore that ''Actually, I've been thinking Miguel could qualify to be a good quartermaster.''

The young man in question looked surprised at this, moreso when he saw the others' expressions change.

''That could work!'' Usopp agreed.

''Yeah, I mean...he has been doing some of what a quartermaster would do.'' Nami mused, thinking back. Miguel had taken to overlooking the daily management of the Merry Go. And while that one may be chalked up to luck, he had been the one to find some sunken treasure a little before they entered the Grand Line and he split the findings with them. Not to mention, he had effectively did the same with some of his own collected funds in Log Town to help them shop.

''I guess so...'' Miguel thought over what he knew of the station and found that Sanji's idea had some merit. He really hadn't considered the position issue until Vivi brought it up so he wasn't sure what to think. Curious, he looked at Luffy for his opinion.

''l like that idea!'' The captain grinned. ''All right, Miguel can definitely be the quartermaster.''

''Fine with me...'' Miguel half-smiled, pausing when noticed Nami's expression change. ''...something wrong?''

''The log pose...I think we're here.''

* * *

They had indeed arrived at Little Garden. Though most of the group agreed the name seemed a little off as all the various types of plants they could see on the island appeared huge. For some reason, it also seemed rather quiet and it left an ominous impression if one considered Miss All Sunday's words.

Luffy was excited as ever ''Wow, I see why this place is called Little Garden!''

''You do?'' Miguel blinked confusedly at him.

''I can't see it either. What's little about it?'' Zoro demanded, picking up on his tone.

Nami completely agreed ''This island looks pretty harsh...what's with the cute name?''

The captain was then distracted by something he noticed in the water as the ship almost came to a stop ''Hey, look at this!'' Luffy held up something from the water. ''It's a shellfish that looks like a squid!''

''How strange...it sort of resembles an aminoid.'' Vivi mused, eyeing it closely.

''Cool, huh?'' Luffy was distracted when the ground shook, making him look back to find the giant creature approaching a tree. ''Whoa! What's a Sea King doing on land?!'' He blinked as Sanji and Miguel recoiled in shock at the sight near him. ''What's wrong?''

''That's...not a Sea King, Luffy...it's...'' Miguel started, looking alarmed as the fact sank in.

''A DINOSAUR!'' Vivi screamed before she and Carue cried out in terror while the others stared in shock, Nami let out little cry of her own while Usopp seemed to have fainted.

''AWESOME!'' Luffy stretched out his arms to hang onto the dinosaur's neck.

''What're you doing?!'' Nami cried.

''ARE YOU CRAZY?!'' Vivi shrieked.

But Luffy was already taking the chance to look around ''This looks great. Hey, I found a place to have lunch!''

''That's a terrible idea!'' Sanji cried.

''Come down from there!'' Vivi called.

''How the hell is this even possible?!'' Nami exclaimed.

''It's like...this island was frozen in time or something.'' The princess reasoned.

''That makes no sense!''

Zoro suddenly remembered Miguel's warning about common sense not working in this ocean ''I don't know...you saw that dinosaur. I'd say she's on to something.''

Miguel sighed and brought Luffy down to their level with Telekinesis, leaving them relieved. Sanji let out a breath ''...That has got to be one of your most useful spells.''

''Hey, I wanna go look around!'' Luffy huffed.

''Before that, we need to talk.'' Miguel said firmly.

''Yeah! You can't just go charging off into this place, we don't know what's out there. You need to remember our situation!'' Nami scolded.

''It'll be fine, I don't wanna miss out anything! I bet there's more of those interesting animals out there!''

''Luffy, this place is dangerous. Especially if what we heard about it is, who knows what's out there?!'' Usopp tried next.

Luffy's enthusiasm was as firm as ever ''It looks like fun!''

''You have a messed up definition of fun!''

Zoro rolled his eyes, really he wasn't too surprised at the teen's decision. Once Luffy made up his mind on something, that was that.

''I'd like to come along.'' Vivi's admission surprised them. ''It's like you said, I've been so tense and I need to take my mind off things. Maybe this can help, the change of pace would be good for me.''

''Are you sure?'' Nami clarified and the girl nodded back.

''I guess I'll go too.'' Miguel added. ''We're going to have to stop anyway and it's a chance to look into picking up some supplies. Let's make the most of it.''

''Yeah! Sanji, lunch boxes please!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''Give me a few minutes.'' The cook returned. ''You two better keep Vivi-chan safe!''

''We got it!'' The three soon left with Carue in tow. While the duck was as happy as Nami and Usopp with this idea, he still wanted to stay with Vivi.

''Miguel's got the right idea about the supplies. I want to take a walk so I'll look into picking some food up.'' Zoro remarked. ''Considering the situation, I'm likely the only one who can find something.''

''What's that supposed to mean?'' Sanji demanded, taking umbrage at the tone.

''You heard me, I'll have the best chances hunting.''

''Like hell! I bet I can find something far better than you ever would!'' The cook retorted.

''You wish!'' Zoro fired back, the two glaring at each other then. ''Let's have a contest to settle this. Whoever brings back most food wins, got it?''

''Absolutely. Prepare to lose, Mosshead!''

''Who the hell are you calling Mosshead?! I'll show you, Dartboard brow!''

Nami and Usopp could only watch as the two stormed off, any attempts to intervene proving useless.

''What now? They all left us here...''

''Oh man...'' Usopp wondered what they could do.

* * *

''That must be really useful.'' Vivi commented as she watched Miguel store a few plants and fruits in his personal dimension.

''Yeah, just one other reason I'm glad I took time to learn the spell.'' He returned.

Luffy's yelp made the three look back to find the rubber teen trapped in some vines while a couple of pterodactyls flew close as he attempted to stop them.

''How...scratch that, when?'' Vivi couldn't help but wonder. They had just turned away for barely a couple of minutes!

Miguel sighed ''This is just proof that Luffy's a huge trouble magnet.'' He requipped his wind sword before raising it up and conjuring a fierce gale that served to scare the pterodactyls. Then he proceeded to cut the vines with a couple of slashes.

Luffy stood up, grinning ''Thanks! This island really is fun!''

''...I'm beginning to think Usopp was right. You have a really strange definition of fun.'' The princess commented as the four kept walking.

''Really?''

Vivi shook her head, deciding to leave the matter at that. She looked at Miguel as she went on ''By the way, I've been wondering...would you happen to be related to Arcadia Alexander and Arcadia Maria by any chance? I was thinking you seemed familiar...''

Luffy eyed her curiously ''Vivi, you know Miguel's mom and dad?''

''Oh, then...'' Vivi blinked. ''...I read a book they published about their adventures. It was really interesting. You look a lot like them.''

''I get that a lot.'' Miguel began to smile. ''I grew up hearing stories about their adventures and it all lead to making me want to travel and see what's out there. Never really imagined I'd become a pirate but so long as it's with Luffy and the others, it's just fine with me.''

Luffy beamed at this ''Well, I'm glad you're here. You fit in with our crew just great!''

His smile widened at this and the three soon continued to talk as they continued to traverse the jungle. At one point, they were found by three dinosaurs but between Luffy and Miguel, there was no problem handling them and they got to gather more food according to the former's wish.

Vivi watched them fight in awe, marveling at their strength. She had already seen proof of their prowess over in Whiskey Peak but seeing them take down dinosaurs was still amazing.

Just when they thought the fight was over, more dinosaurs appeared. Carue recoiled with a cry while the others braced themselves.

What happened next though, took them all by surprise.

The dinosaurs were swatted by a huge arm, which made them look up to find a massive giant dressed in viking like armor with an ax held in one hand. His eyes widened at the sight of the group of four. ''Oh, what do we have here?''

* * *

Much to general relief, it turned out that the new arrival was actually rather friendly. Not only did he help them with the dinosaurs but he also invited them to have lunch at his home.

The giant, who they learned was called Dorry, lived in the mountains to the north. He had apparently been here for a while for he seemed very used to Little Garden.

As usual, Luffy took everything in stride. In fact, he was happily munching on a piece of grilled meat Dorry had offered him. ''So good! Nice work!''

Dorry laughed, grilling a piece for himself. ''Thanks, I was surprised at first but dinosaur meat really did turn out to be delicious. By the way...'' He looked at the others curiously. ''...are your friends going to be all right with those little portions?''

''Appreciate the concern, but I think we'll be fine. Luffy just has some insane appetite.'' Miguel offered.

''Ah, I see. Well, not like your pirate goodies were really good but they do seem tiny.''

''I guess so but no big deal, my crew's cook made them so if you badmouth his work, I'd have to beat you up.'' Luffy declared. Vivi and Carue, who had already been frightened enough with the situation at hand, stiffened at this.

Dorry just laughed ''You sure are funny! You're certainly the first to be so friendly with me, others just freaked out or tried to run even when I didn't want to hurt them.''

''Sounds like a bunch of scaredy cats.'' Luffy commented before taking another bite.

''Well, I've heard a few stories about giants before. Most of them said that your home was an island called Elbaf, right?'' Miguel asked.

''That's right.'' Dorry confirmed. ''Though it's been so long since I've been there...''

''Really? So what're you doing in a place like this?'' Luffy wondered.

''We have to settle the score.'' He proceeded to explain how there was another giant (Broggy) and how they had a fight. But since they came to a tie, Elbaf's tradition decreed that they have to battle until a victor is decided and leave the matter to the God of Elbaf.

''You've been at this for a hundred years?!'' Luffy's jaw dropped while his friends looked dumbfounded.

Dorry just chuckled ''Well, I suppose it seems like a long time to a human but our lifespans are much longer. It's just the way things are, this is too important to let slide and as warriors, we abide by the honorable code of our homeland.''

Vivi's expression made it clear that she wasn't convinced ''Is there any reason for either of you to hate the other?''

''Absolutely not.'' Dorry replied.

''But then why do you fight? You don't have to, you can talk things through. It sounds like you and that other giant could be friends...''

''It's not that easy.'' Miguel refuted. ''Sometimes people don't believe words can sort things out, it's never that simple. But I don't see why they'd have to hate each other for it. It's just how they do things. People have their own beliefs and values and even if they doesn't make sense to us, no one should simply judge them for that.''

Dorry grinned ''I couldn't agree more.''

The four started and Carue almost jumped as they heard a loud rumble before Dorry looked at a mountain in the distance, seeing smoke. ''W-what was that?'' Vivi asked him.

''The signal.'' Dorry stood. ''It's time for a battle.''

''Wait, you're doing this again? But there's no need!'' The princess exclaimed.

''Remember what your friend said.'' Dorry said, nodding at Miguel before he picked up his weapon.

''It doesn't have to do with hate or anything. This is a matter of honor.'' Luffy stated.

''That's right.'' Dorry turned to leave. ''We're going to settle this, we have to. This is the way of Elbaf.''

* * *

After talking it over, the group agreed to catch up to Dorry and they arrived in time to find him in the thick of battle.

The fighting seemed to be intense and neither warrior was giving an inch. It was easy to forget that they had done this so many times before as they were clearly fighting with all they had. One could easily discern their prowess from a single glance, to say nothing of their power.

The result seemed to be another tie and both giants took that amiably. It wasn't long before they were relaxing like friends, and that was when Broggy noticed his rival's guests.

''Oh, are you friends with those other two humans? A girl with orange hair and a long nosed guy.'' He clarified.

''Yeah! So Nami and Usopp decided to go out and have fun too!'' Luffy said brightly. ''Hey, you know where they are?''

''I'm not sure...'' Broggy admitted. ''...I left them at my home but the long nosed kid seemed interested in our fight so I wonder if he did want to see it. He saw part of the last one anyway...''

''Do either of you by any chance know when the log pose resets on this island?'' Vivi inquired.

''It takes a year.''

''What?!'' She and Luffy exclaimed while the lower part of Carue's beak dropped.

''Most of the humans who wind up trapped here either become dinosaur food or they die from heat and starvation.'' Dorry explained. ''There were also a few fools who tried to attack us when they heard about the log but we took care of them.''

''What log?'' Luffy looked up at him.

''Ah, it's the goal behind our battle. An eternal pose to Elbaf. Some fools were desperate enough to try and take it.''

''Man, that's no good...'' The captain sulked. ''...I can't stay here for a year, I'd go crazy!''

''That's not the issue, Luffy.'' Miguel reminded.

''Right, we need to get to Alabasta. My country could be destroyed!'' Vivi added.

''I'm sorry to hear that.'' Broggy said sincerely. ''If there's anyway we can help...''

''Thank you but I'm not sure how...'' Vivi returned.

Dorry looked at Miguel ''You're a wizard, right? Don't you have anything that could help?''

''Anything I can think of depends on our own knowledge and we'd still need a log pose there...'' He could help direct the ship with water and gravity magic but they still had no idea where to go. Vivi hadn't taken the island hopping route before so even she didn't know how long it would take to get there. ''...at this rate, I don't know what to do besides sailing and hoping we can find something. I can try to fly the ship, though I'm not sure how far I can take it but maybe the log pose could change after that.''

''That might be our best shot.'' Vivi concurred. She didn't like it either, knowing how it could be risky, but what else could they do?

Luffy was momentarily distracted when he noticed the barrels beside Broggy ''What's that stuff?''

''Oh, I found this just a short while before running into your friends. Actually, I thought they might be yours but looks like I was wrong. They're full of a drink from the sound of it, probably sake.''

''Are you sure you don't want to drink that? You don't even know where it came from.'' Miguel pointed out.

Broggy just let out a laugh ''It's just fine. This isn't the first time we found supplies lying about, this probably washed to shore after that recent storm.''

With that, he proceeded to drink. But that was when things went terribly wrong.

It wasn't long before the whole thing blew up just as the giant was drinking. Dorry yelped in shock while the others recoiled as Broggy let out a choked gasp before he collapsed.

''BROGGY!''

''What happened?!''

''That drink...it was some kind of trap...'' Vivi concluded, frowning.

''Just what is going here?'' Dorry demanded, outraged. ''You guys...just who are you, really? We've seen our fair share of dirty tricks before but this is a new low...''

''Hold on, we didn't have anything to do with this...'' Miguel started.

Vivi's eyes narrowed ''Aren't you rushing a little too fast to blame us here?'' She demanded hotly. ''How do we know you aren't covering for yourself?''

Dorry looked offended and angered at this but Luffy spoke ''That can't be right! You heard him before, they fight with honor.''

The giant seemed surprised at this, more so when Miguel added ''Something's obviously fishy here, I can't see him doing this either. Things would've been very different if he was that kind of person.''

Luffy nodded and looked back at Dorry ''How is it our fault? Miguel tried to warn you guys about taking those barrels!''

''Then explain what happened! You claim it was neither of us but then why did this happen?! Give me one good reason I should believe you!'' In his anger, he lashed out and would have hit Miguel (who had gone to check on Broggy) with the giant mistaking his healing magic for something worse. Fortunately, Luffy intervened in time and took the worst of it, taking practically no damage because of his rubber body. The force of the blow wound up knocking them both down.

He helped Miguel, who was holding the side of his head ''You okay?'' The latter nodded, concentrating his magic to heal himself instead while the first rounded on Dorry. ''What was that for?! He just wanted to help your friend!''

Miguel shook himself and went back to the other giant, pausing to examine him before looking at Dorry. He knew very well that anger could only make things and truth be told, he couldn't really blame Dorry for being upset. Thus he decided to focus on priorities.''I can heal him.''

The giant looked taken aback ''You would...?''

''Please, there's no need to fight!'' Vivi interjected. ''We don't know what's going on but we don't want to hurt either of you.''

''Yeah, I bet there's someone else on the island.'' Luffy's expression grew angered. ''And when I find them, they're going to pay for messing with you guys! You're warriors who fight with honor, I won't let them get away!''

''You guys...'' Dorry lowered his head, revising his impression of the group. He kicked himself for not seeing it before but they had been good people like he first assumed. His emotions had just gotten the better of him. ''...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have...''

''It doesn't matter, we're fine.'' Luffy waved the apology off.

''Right, we have to get to the bottom of this.'' Vivi stated.

''Allow me to help you.'' Dorry said strongly. ''I won't let the low lives behind this dirty trick escape!''

They nodded back and Dorry turned to Miguel ''I don't have the right to ask anything of you but please...''

The wizard gave a reassuring smile ''It's okay, I'll help him.''

Dorry's expression turned grateful ''Thank you.''

Miguel looked back at Luffy ''Be careful, I'll catch up with you guys as soon as I can.''

''Right, it'll be okay!'' He returned. ''Now let's go find those jerks!''

* * *

 _And we're done!_

 _Well, I hope this was good. I didn't want to just follow canon so I hope you like my own version of this arc so far. I needed some time to work on my plans and while I'm not there yet, I sort of have an idea about how to handle the Alabasta arc. Still a work in progress though, I've gotten pretty far with the Drum arc too. All in all, we're looking pretty good._

 _Please leave a review!_


	19. Chapter 19

Having left Dorry in Miguel's care, Luffy's group began their search around the island for the people behind the bomb. It wasn't long before they ran into Usopp, who was quick to ask about the battle but Broggy dismissed it and Vivi quickly explained the trouble, leaving him just as angry as Luffy had been.

''Those scum! They can't get away with this!'' Usopp declared.

''I know, that's why we're here.'' Luffy agreed.

Vivi had a sinking suspicion of who it could be but she was distracted by another thought that occurred to her. ''Usopp, wasn't Nami with you?''

''That's just it...we got separated a little while ago, I was looking for her when I saw you guys and...'' Usopp blinked. ''...speaking of lost friends, Vivi, where's Carue?''

''Eh?'' The princess was left alarmed as she realized he was right, her duck was gone!

''What's going on?'' Luffy frowned.

Broggy scowled ''It must be them, they're picking us off one by one...we should keep moving, and keep a sharp eye out. This can't go on.''

''Right!''

* * *

The group came upon a clearing, soon finding a man with dark hair in the shape of the number three standing there.

Vivi hadn't seen the man before but she had a very good guess who he was ''So it was you people after all, Mr. 3!''

The man recoiled ''How did you know who I was?!''

''Yeah, how?'' Luffy added, Vivi had said that she hadn't really met most of the frontier agents after all.

''Gee, I don't know Luffy, maybe that big number on his head gave it away?'' Usopp said dryly, the captain making a noise of understanding then.

''W-well, either way...'' Mr. 3 coughed, trying to regain composure. ''...it doesn't matter. After all, you've fallen for my brilliant plan!'' He grinned, looking at Broggy then. ''How did you like our little surprise?''

The giant scowled ''So you're the ones behind that bomb too...''

''Of course, it was all too simple enough for barbaric savages like you and that other giant.'' Mr. 3 said smugly while they glared back. ''By the way, Princess, we have a surprise for you.''

He stepped aside, revealing a battered and gagged Carue bound to a tree. Vivi gasped at the sight but Mr. 3 went on ''This wouldn't have been necessary if he had cooperated with us, but there's nothing you can do about foolishness.''

Vivi ground her teeth ''Don't you talk about...!''

She never got to finish as the next second, she was grabbed and hauled up in the air, barely getting to hear her friends' cries as she registered Miss Valentine's presence. The woman smirked ''Well, this was easier than I thought.''

Before the girl realized it, she was thrown onto a strange white sculpture.

''Vivi?!''

She turned, her eyes widening at the two familiar figures there ''Nami? Mr. Bushido?!''

* * *

Luffy scowled, they had tried to stop Miss Valentine but the problem was, they couldn't do much in that situation without Vivi getting hurt. If the cocky grin on Mr. 3's face was anything to go by, he knew it too. Their friends was taken to some strange white hill that wasn't too far from here.

This also lead to them discovering another problem. ''Wha-I can't move!''

He and Usopp turned to Broggy at the exclamation, seeing that the giant really was unable to move for some reason despite his struggles.

''What's going on?''

Mr. 3 smirked ''We came prepared, you fools.''

Usopp had a thought, Miguel had made a point of warning him and Sanji about the field agents they encountered on Whiskey Peak. This lead him also to quickly realize how they made that bomb. He specifically remembered their friend's warning on how those agents seemed to work in pairs.

''How many of you low lives are there?!''

''Enough to take you down.'' Mr. 3 said simply.

''What did you do to our friends, you jerk?!'' Luffy demanded.

''Oh, I thought you'd never ask, Straw Hat. Take a good look.'' Mr. 3 gestured at what they assumed to be a hill was actually an odd white sculpture. There, on one its highest floors were Zoro, Nami and Vivi. ''They're getting an up close and personal view of my candle set. Now feast your eyes on my magnificent artistic talent!''

''...How the heck is that supposed to be art?''

He almost fell at Usopp's words but quickly regained his balance and mustered a glare ''Hmph, I should have known that unrefined brutes wouldn't understand.''

''Who're you calling an unrefined brute?! I just have taste, which is more than I can say for you!'' The sniper fired back.

Luffy's attention was still on their friends and he figured that Broggy had been right all along. The only way he could imagine something of this sort happening was those agents blindsiding his crew.

''Luffy, we're stuck!'' Nami cried. ''I don't know what this thing's doing but make that weirdo stop this!''

''Okay!'' He called back.

At the same time, Usopp had taken to trying to figure out what was wrong with Broggy. He couldn't see anything that could help him understand why the giant was in such a state. As he happened to look around, his sharp eyes caught sight of a figure moving in the bushes near Mr. 3, a hat barely poking through. ''Hey, come out of there!'' He held up his slingshot. ''Lead Star!''

He fired at the spot where he had seen the hat, a second later, a little girl holding a palette and a brush rolled out of there. ''Aha, that must be your partner!''

''Don't get ahead of yourself, pirate. You were just lucky to spot her!'' Mr. 3 fired back.

''Yeah, right! You can't escape Captain Usopp's sharp eyes. Luffy, break that thing!''

''You got it!'' Luffy aimed a fist at the sculpture but just when it looked like it would work, his fist veered off the mark to hit a tree.

''What?!''

Luffy tried again, only to be confused to find the same happening again. Usopp frowned ''Luffy, what're you doing?!''

''I don't know! I tried to aim at that weird thing but then my hand moved and...aaah, there's a ghost here! It's doing this stuff!'' The teen cried suddenly.

''I...really don't think that's it.'' The sniper sweatdropped. How on earth did he make that leap of logic?

But it was Broggy who happened to spot the problem ''Wait, look closer! There's something on that tree!''

The two spotted an odd red symbol there and Mr. 3 laughed ''You finally noticed, hm? You've already fallen for my partner's abilities!''

Zoro frowned ''We're still trapped, dammit, what the hell is this stuff?!''

''I heard that Mr. 3 ate the Wax-Wax fruit, I don't know how it works but it certainly seems true. How did they capture you two anyway?'' Vivi wanted to know.

''They knocked me out when I was heading back to the ship.'' Nami grumbled. ''I don't have any idea where Sanji is but that's because he and Zoro went on that stupid hunting contest.''

''There's nothing stupid about it.'' Zoro grunted, thinking on that how wasn't too different from what happened on his end. ''The cook and I went off in completely different directions so I doubt they found him. Vivi, wasn't Miguel supposed to be with you?''

''We left him to help Dorry after they got him hurt.''

''Good...he may be what we need to get out of this mess.''

* * *

At the same time, Luffy and the others had learned about Mr. 3's partner, Miss Golden Week. Apparently, her ability was a hypnosis of sorts, leading to anyone who was affected by her paintings (which she used as those symbols called color traps) to act how she wanted. Broggy was afflicted with her color trap, Icy Blue, which completely restrained him while Luffy was affected with her color trap, Bullfight Red, which forced those afflicted to target the marked area.

Usopp knew that she must have been sneaking around and placing those traps where she could. He scowled, Mr. 3 might have come across as a fool but there was no denying he was cunning. And to make matters worse, he was sure that the two frontier agents from Whiskey Peak were here, likely waiting for the right time to come out. He tried to look, hoping to see any sign of them. While that failed, it let him spot another issue.

''Luffy, move! You're standing right in one of her traps!''

The captain blinked and looked down, his eyes widening at the sight of the red symbol around his feet. He quickly stepped aside, wondering when that happened. Miss Golden Week's eyes narrowed a bit and she quickly dabbed her brush in her colors to get a black one before leveling it at Luffy. The teen made to move but then he was pushed back by Usopp, then seeing why as Miss Valentine landed on the spot where they had just been standing with a lot of force as she had increased her weight again.

When they looked back, they found that Mr. 5 had also joined the agents, having been lying in wait all along. ''I've had enough waiting, we'll finish you all off.''

* * *

Miguel's brow furrowed as he thought he saw an explosion in the distance with some smoke rising ''...What's going on? Are they all okay...?''

''Why don't we go find out?''

He started at the unexpected voice, turning to see a now awake Dorry grinning at him. ''Wait, you can...?''

''Thanks to you, yeah.'' The giant returned. ''Some honor-less scum who ruined our battle must have come here, huh? I'm guessing your friends and Broggy left to deal with them.'' Miguel nodded. ''Good! I want to do something about this too and you want to help your friends, right?''

''Yeah...''

''Then let's get going!''

Miguel nodded back and within seconds, the two headed off into the jungle...

* * *

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine's entrance marked the start of the battle of the agents against the Straw Hats. And since most of them were unable to fight, things weren't working well. To make matters worse, Mr. 3 revealed that the candle set would turn Zoro, Nami and Vivi into candles!

Despite their efforts to avoid the outcome, Miss Golden Week had been able to use another of her color traps on Luffy. This one called betrayal black, made Luffy refuse to save their friends, much to their shock. And no matter what they said, he kept insisting on doing nothing. When Usopp tried to intervene, the other agents got in the way.

The sniper barely got to dodge Miss Valentine's attempt to slam him down and tried to see where the color trap symbol affected Broggy. But he didn't get far, as the sound of a gun loading up made him turn to Mr. 5 and he quickly got out of the way as the agent used an explosive bullet.

''Dammit, Luffy, move!'' A fed up Zoro snapped.

''I told you I won't.''

Luckily, Vivi then had an idea ''Luffy, _don't_ save us! _Don't_ destroy the sculpture!''

Before anyone could question this, Luffy suddenly moved ''Right then, I'll break that thing down.''

Nami's eyes widened in understanding and she kicked herself for not seeing it before. Of course, this was basically reverse psychology! ''Don't hurry up!''

As expected, this spurred the rubber teen into running towards the candle set. But just as he made to attack, Miss Valentine attacked and successfully slammed him down.

''Nice try, as it we're going to let you do what you want.'' She leered, only flying away when Mr. 3 released a wave of wax that began to surround the teen.

Meanwhile, Usopp was forced to contend with Mr. 5, having no choice but to remain defensive to dodge his explosive attacks.

''Sooner or later, you'll tire out. Then you'll lose.'' He punctuated the statement by firing another bullet. Usopp dodged again and fired a shot which burst into the ground and released a smokescreen. He took advantage of this to pepper the man with a couple of other shots and finally aiming one that blinded the man with paint (something he'd been experimenting on lately). Mr. 5 growled, and tried to attack but this gave Usopp the chance to knock his revolver out of his hand. He then proceeded to use another paint shot to mess up the color trap symbol on Luffy's back, thus negating it.

The captain perked up ''Good going!''

Just as he felt the wax close on in on his limbs, Luffy moved. But then so did Miss Valentine ''Oh no, you don't! Crescendo Stone!''

Luffy gasped out, mostly in surprise as he felt her weight suddenly increase. Miss Valentine grinned, using her powers to raise her weight again ''I'll crush you, Straw Hat.''

Unfortunately for her, Luffy was made of rubber. Which meant that blunt attacks, like what she was doing, had minimal effect on him. Also, that Luffy knew just how to get out of this.

''Gum Gum Balloon!''

The frontier agent was caught off guard when he suddenly swelled up, throwing her off balance and making her hit the ground with her increased weight after she was kicked. Luffy wasted no time and turned to strike the candle set. Mr. 3 yelped and raised candle walls in an attempt to stop him. Luffy was easily able to circumvent this, but the problem was that Miss Golden Week was about to use her paints again...

''Not gonna happen!'' Usopp fired another of his lead stars, forcing Miss Golden Week to get out of the way. Just as he fired another attack, it was stopped by Mr. 3's Candle Wall.

''You know, the only reason I'm staying out of this for the most part is that you insisted that you could handle them.'' He leered. ''But it looks like I'll have to handle everything after all. To think you're actually frontier agents like me...''

''Don't you take that tone with us!'' Miss Valentine snarled. ''We're not done yet!''

''Yes well, I'm done watching this.'' He returned coolly, unleashing waves of candles towards Luffy and Usopp then. But the former wrapped an arm around the latter before sending them to a tree. Usopp took the chance to shoot at them again, carefully aiming at Miss Golden Week to make sure she doesn't use another trap. This also allowed Luffy a good window to get in and strike Mr. 3.

Nami's eyes widened when she saw Zoro beginning to cut at his legs ''What're you doing?!''

''Isn't it obvious? I'm going to cut my legs off so I can fight.''

''Are you nuts?!'' She demanded while Vivi looked dumbfounded.

He gave them an annoyed look ''In case you both forgot, we're short on time! We've gotta do something, Luffy and Usopp have their hands full.''

''Yeah, well that's not the way to handle this!''

Luffy and Usopp were forced to back away as Mr. 3 took to firing his wax as if using a cannon. Usopp frowned, dodging would eventually get them in trouble ''Luffy, can't you break that stuff?''

''I tried before, but it hardens up. Hitting when it's moving that fast...? That sounds like a bad idea.''

''Good point...'' Yeah, he could imagine that either of them would get hurt very easily in such a situation. Trouble was, he could see their other enemies getting ready to move again. Proving his worst suspicions true, Miss Valentine appeared ready to smash them and Mr. 5 used another explosive.

Seconds later, both were hit by golden bursts of starlight and both fell back just as the explosive was swatted aside by a newly arrived Dorry as Miguel flew to the scene with Meteor.

Luffy perked up ''Hey, guys!''

''Dorry!'' Broggy grinned.

''Looks like you're slacking on the job there, Broggy!'' The giant grinned back.

''What?! How are you...?!'' Mr. 3 spluttered.

Miss Valentine pulled herself up, wincing but she mustered a glare''This is perfect, we were just planning to use them to find you. None of you are getting out of her alive after all.''

''For once, you said something I can agree too.'' Mr. 3 stated, aiming once more. ''Wax Blast!''

Miguel flew out of the way, pausing at a tree branch just in time to hear Usopp tell Dorry about the color trap on his friend, which they had no time to deal with. It wasn't long before the other agents began to run interference again, with Mr. 5's explosions forcing Dorry back and burning Broggy.

Mr. 3 aimed his next move at both giants ''Candle Jacket!''

Miguel stopped this cold by requipping his earth sword and tapping the ground with it, causing tremors around the man that almost threw him off and even a crack where all the wax fell through.

''Hmph, paltry tricks. Even if you have magic, it won't help against me.'' He boasted, using more waves but Miguel stunned him by replacing his earth sword with the ice one and immediately using it to freeze the oncoming wax. Taking advantage of his shock, Miguel attacked again with White Roar.

At the same time, Usopp had drenched Mr. 5 with water from the barrel Carue had while Luffy nailed both the man and Miss Valentine with a Gum Gum Whip. This gave Dorry enough time to find the color trap symbol, making him to see that Miss Golden Week had actually used quite a few on Broggy, mostly centering on his armor, so he quickly made sure to mess the paint up. Carue rounded on Miss Golden Week, knocking her out with a headbutt.

Mr. 3 tried to trap Miguel with various ensembles of wax before using his Candle Jacket.

''Pleaides!'' Miguel conjured a hail of starlight rays that destroyed all the wax around him.

Mr. 3 yelped as he was hit by some of the flying shards caused by the spell, and then rammed by Miguel's sheath as the wizard flew in to strike. He tried to force Miguel away with more cannon blasts of his wax wax power, only to be dismayed once more as the latter was able to deal with them efficiently, even striking at him with bursts of starlight.

''Wait, wait!'' He yelled, now overcome with panic and barely thinking as he knew he wouldn't be able to take anymore of Miguel's attacks. ''Your friends are trapped in my Candle Set, which means they'll be turned into wax statues before long.''

The wizard stopped ''What?'' He'd known that the man could control wax to some extent but to think...

''What do you mean by that?!''

Startled, the two looked up at the sculpture to see Zoro raising one hand with his sword held high. He appeared neutral while Vivi and Nami were panicking. ''Exactly what I said, if we're going to be statues, I'd rather take a good pose. You two should start thinking of one fast.''

''As if!'' Nami snapped, hoping their friends could hurry and get them out of here.

''You see?'' Mr. 3 on the other hand, was amused by Zoro's take of the situation and he didn't bother to hide it. ''So really, I'd start looking up a way to free them if I were you.''

''Oh, really?''

Before the man knew it, he was grabbed and hoisted by an angry Broggy while Dorry tried and failed to break the sculpture ''I know a way, stop that messed up statue now!''

''Messed up?! Excuse you, that's fine art!'' Mr. 3 snapped. ''And why should I listen to you? Candle Jacket!''

Knowing what this meant, the giant was forced to release him lest he wind up in a similar position to their trapped comrades. ''The wax I make is as hard as steel, you'll never be able to break it!''

At the same time, Luffy kicked Miss Valentine into a tree. Usopp took up a rope and soaked it with oil. By carefully aiming it to use the remnant sparks on a few dead pieces of wood from Mr. 5's latest explosions, he was able to set it on fire. Riding on a determined Carue, he was able to get past the battle and closer to the candle set, but as they were about to use the rope, Carue stopped and changed directions just in time to avoid one of Mr. 5's bombs.

''Fool, as if I'd let you do what you want.'' The man stepped up. Unluckily for him, his focus on Usopp and Carue left him vulnerable for what came next.

''Gum Gum Pistol!''

While he did get to see the speeding fist, Mr. 5 was nowhere near quick enough to dodge. But he also used the chance to cast another explosion that blew the three back.

Luffy groaned as he pulled himself ''You guys okay?''

''Yeah...'' Usopp pulled himself as did Carue. He glanced at the candle set, seeing how their friends were getting swamped by the wax. The sniper thought this stuff must be even harder than it looked as even their giant friends couldn't break it. ''...what do we do now? Those guys can stall all the want but if this keeps up they're going to win...''

* * *

Miguel bit his lip, knowing they were on borrowed time. The thing is, he _did_ have an idea to get rid of that sculpture. It was the best bet as most of his spells couldget their friends hurt. But he didn't know if he could make it work. It had actually been something he'd avoided despite knowing how effective it could be in the situation. Seeing as it involved...

'No...I have to do something.' He thought. 'I'm not going to watch this, not a chance.'

With his resolve affirmed, the quartermaster near the sculpture with Meteor.

Mr. 3 laughed when he saw Miguel holding up a sword near the set. ''Whatever you do, it won't make a difference.''

It was Zoro who happened to realize just what the wizard had in mind ''Wait, but that's...!''

The words died in his mouth once the sword released a burst of fire.

Nami stiffened, now feeling Zoro's shock ''He just...''

Luffy and Usopp were just as stunned, this was the best way to handle the predicament but they also knew that it also held a double meaning for their friend.

Miguel winced for a moment, fierce torrents of fire that seemed to swallow everything coming to his mind's eye. He couldn't help but recall the screams, the pain and the death from that nightmarish day...

Feeling the fire increase snapped him out of it and he shook his head. No, this wasn't the time. He had to focus, and not think of the horrible memories. If he let his emotions overcome in his current state, the spell would surely spin out of control and he couldn't let that happen.

'No! Come on...' He ground his teeth. '...I can beat this! I want to help my friends!'

Luckily in a couple of minutes, the candle set was almost fully melted, leaving Luffy and Usopp to cheer.

Only then, something fast moved before they knew it and hit Miguel before bursting. This also disrupted his control over the fire magic and resulted in some of it burning him before disappearing, leaving him to collapse.

''Miguel!''

Luffy growled ''Why you...!''

Broggy glared at the source, Mr. 5 as he leveled his revolver at Miguel ''We should've known honor-less scum like you would sink to such a level...''

''I could care less what you say. I've been looking forward to some payback against him. Now then...''

Just as he was about to fire, someone stepped in front of Miguel and sliced the pistol with the wizard's own fire blade.

Luffy perked up ''Zoro!''

The swordsman was standing deftly in front of his crew mate against the enemy ''That's as far as you're going to get, jackass.'' He had to hold back a wince with the pain in his legs but he would bear it. Miguel just forced himself to face that phobia to save them, he couldn't even use the sword before and yet he had pulled this off for them. Zoro believed this was the least he could do in return. And he wasn't done.

''Yaki Oni Giri!''

Luffy grinned, seeing that the strike knocked the man down. ''Way to go!''

Usopp went to check up on Miguel just as the girls did, cringing in sympathy as he took in the cuts, bruises and worst of all, burns, the wizard sustained. At least the worst of the fire had faded before it hit him...but still...

Nami's next words proved that she was thinking along the same lines ''...He shouldn't have had to do that...''

''Yeah...'' Usopp wished they had been faster, or that they could've done anything differently. Anything would've been better to spare Miguel from making such a choice...and the worst part was, look how it turned out. The sniper cursed Mr. 5, wanting to hurt him for this.

''What do you mean? Sure, there was trouble but he freed you three!'' Dorry reminded, wanting them to look at the bright side.

''But Master Dorry, he's been afraid of fire for years!''

''What?'' Dorry's jaw dropped at Usopp's words while Vivi gasped. No wonder they had been so shocked...

Broggy felt the same ''...What courage. I can't imagine how hard that must have been...''

''Exactly...'' Zoro scowled. ''...time to finish that candle bastard.''

Luffy's eyes narrowed ''Yeah, I'll take him down!''

* * *

Mr. 3 had actually run to another of his set ups, a hollow sculpture of wax he had lined up with wax doppelgangers of himself, colored by Miss Golden Week. He wasn't too surprised to hear Luffy charging through, coming after him.

''You really are a fool, Straw Hat! You should've taken the win you could muster instead of coming to the place of your defeat!'' He crowed.

''Yeah, you wish!'' Luffy retorted. ''I told you, we're not going to let you get away with messing up the giants' fight. And I'll make sure you pay for what happened to my friends. I don't know how you're so full of big talk anyway, Miguel beat you on his own.''

''That's not true!'' Mr. 3 scowled. Even though a small part of him acknowledged the point and it was only because of the wizard being preoccupied with his friends' that he hadn't completely finished the fight.

Not that he'd ever admit it, of course.

He used his devil fruit powers to flood the area with wax, but Luffy surprised by jumping and using Gum Gum Stamp to strike back. The surprise was that the pirate hit the real him despite all the doppel gangers.

''H-how did you...?''

''Instinct.'' Luffy replied simply.

''Ugh, very well...Since I have no choice, it's time!'' Wax gathered around him once again, creating a giant robot with heavy armor and boxing gloves. ''See if you can handle my Candle Champion, with this little gem, I was able to defeat a pirate worth 42 million berri. More than twice your bounty, Straw Hat. Champ Fight: Oraga Hatake!''

Luffy braced himself as the champion unleashed many punches, easily able to dodge them. Mr. 3 kept trying to push forward, even using his wax to slow Luffy down but the teen grabbed the stuff and threw it back at Mr. 3's face. Mr. 3 yelped in surprise as his trump card was suddenly pushed back by a strong force with Luffy's Gum Gum Spear. He met the Candle Champion's oncoming barrage of fists of with one of his own. And while he did receive damage, it was minimal and he was able to keep going. Luffy was able to slam the weapon against a few of the wax doppelganger with a Gum Gum Whip, causing cracks to spread out through the weapon.

Luffy jumped up high and struck again ''Gum Gum Pistol!''

This served to destroy the Champion and knock Mr. 3 out in one fell swoop, leaving Luffy to grin as he knew the battle was over.

* * *

Miguel woke up slowly, seeing a few blurry but somewhat familiar figures nearby. He blinked, recognizing his friends. What happened though?

It took seconds for his memory to return, leaving him to sit up with a start as fear surged through him, he was finding it hard to even think.

''Oi, oi, easy! You're still injured!''

''Yeah, Miguel, it's okay now!''

But as it were, he could barely register the voices. Not when he was facing an all too painful reminder of his worst memories again. He could feel himself trembling even as he tried to calm down and it was getting hard to breathe...

Vivi's heart went out to the young man, realizing he was in shock. And who could blame him? ''Miguel, please listen to us, everything's all right now. Try to calm down. You saved us.''

''Yeah and we got to really turn the battle around thanks to you and Master Dorry!'' Usopp chipped in helpfully.

''And I beat that candle jerk too! So everything's good again!'' Luffy added brightly, hoping to make him feel better. None of them had seen the young man like this before and they could only wonder just what happened that caused his phobia. Luffy did remember him mentioning a battle before but if his current state and the way he avoided talking about the subject was anything to go by, the rubber teen wasn't sure he wanted to know.

''There you go.'' Nami smiled as Miguel inhaled and exhaled, slightly calmer now.

''T-thanks...sorry about that...''

''Ah, don't feel bad, everything worked out for the best.'' Zoro was of the firm opinion that Miguel had nothing to be ashamed for. He had done very well today, especially if one considers how he couldn't even use the fire sword before and yet he pushed his fears aside for them.

''If anything you should be proud, you were impressive back there.'' Dorry assured while Broggy nodded and added.

''Courage isn't simply the absence of fear, it's what you do even despite that fear. That's why I think you gave us a true example of courage here. You're as courageous as you are kind.''

''Thank you.'' Miguel gave a small smile, wincing as he felt the burns on his arm before he proceeded to start healing them. Truth be told, while the idea still scared him he was glad that he had been able to do something. He would've hated to leave his friends like that, phobia or not. At least things were okay now...

It was moments later that he noticed Sanji ''Sanji? Ah, when did you...?'' He blinked. ''How much did I miss?''

''Not much, really.'' Usopp said as he and Zoro spared the cook dry looks. ''He just showed up a few minutes ago. Took long enough, right?''

''Hey, don't say it like that!'' The cook retorted. ''I got what we needed remember?''

Still confused, Miguel looked at Vivi for help and she explained ''Sanji came across the agents' base. He pretended to be Mr. 3 and assured Crocodile that we were all dead. So now we won't have to worry about him sending anyone else after us.''

''Heeh...you tricked Crocodile? Nice work.'' Miguel remarked, honestly impressed. Given what the Warlord had done so far, that act certainly deserved praise.

Sanji smirked ''Thanks! Good to see some people who understand ingenuity.'' Usopp and Zoro merely rolled their eyes.

Broggy chuckled ''You really are quite a colorful bunch.''

''Oh and just so you know, I so won the contest!'' Sanji went on.

''Yeah, right! You never stood a chance!'' Zoro retorted.

''Oh yeah?''

''Yeah!''

Nami rolled her eyes ''Men...''

Luffy just laughed ''Okay, we should get back to Merry now. Goodbye, giant old guys!''

''Goodbye!'' They returned before Broggy added to Vivi ''I hope you can save your home.''

''Thank you, I hope so too.''

* * *

Minutes after the Merry set sail, its path was obstructed by a giant goldfish. While the group was in shock, Dorry and Broggy seemed to know this was coming.

''It's all right, everyone, keep going!''

''We'll take care of this!''

''Eh? But...'' Nami looked unnerved.

''It's okay, you heard them, we'll keep going!'' Luffy ordered. The girl nodded back and kept the ship on course.

The giant warriors raised their weapons and Broggy spoke ''Island eater, you won't stop our friends!''

''In the name of the warriors of Elbaf, we will clear their path. Behold our strongest attack!''

Then both of them roared ''Haokoku!''

They attacked together, their weapons raising a massive shock wave that tore right through the goldfish and even carried the Merry along. It was so strong that even their weapons disintegrated!

''Oh, wow...'' Usopp gaped.

''Thanks a bunch! We owe you!'' Luffy called.

''Not at all, it's the least we can do!'' Dorry called back happily.

''Yeah, good luck on your travels!'' Broggy added.

''The strength of the warriors of Elbaf is amazing!'' To say Usopp found this experience inspiring would be an understatement. ''I want to be just like them one day! A brave warrior of the sea and I want to visit Elbaf one day.''

Zoro half-smiled ''You know that doesn't sound half-bad.''

''Yeah, it'll be cool!'' Luffy chirped.

Sanji looked at Miguel ''So they told me what happened back there...good job. Hate to think what it'd be like if you weren't there.''

''Ah, I wouldn't put too much stock into it, I messed up anyway...''

Nami slapped his shoulder lightly ''Don't say it like that, you came through for us.''

''Yeah, you did your best back there. The giant called it right, you were really brave.'' Zoro offered.

''Thanks but you guys would have done it too.'' Miguel returned. He really didn't think much of that, far as he was concerned, his friends were worth it. Little did he realize that the three knew him well enough by now to guess that he was thinking along those lines. ''I guess it's a step up after all...''

''Yeah, you'll get over that phobia someday.'' Nami added with a smile.

He half-smiled ''I hope you're right, Nami.''

''All right!'' Luffy exclaimed. ''Let's keep going to Alabasta!''

* * *

 _And we're done!_

 _This one was kind of a pain to put together but I was thinking of maybe trying to write longer chapters from here on out. How about it? I hope you liked my version of the Little Garden Arc._

 _I've been planning to have Miguel deal with his phobia ever since I started working on this story. This has to be a step by step thing. You'll see what the events here would lead to for him soon. It's a gradual process but I'm making it work. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you could tell me your opinion of the story so far, till next time!_


	20. Chapter 20

Miguel woke up with a start, feeling his heart race. He had to take a few moments to breathe, the nightmare still fresh in his mind.

It was a reminder of his worst memories. The great fire that almost consumed a quarter of his homeland, which was a result of an attack caused by mercenaries who had used a dirty trick to try entering Elysia. It turned out that they were hired by some of the navy extremists who were displeased by the treaty.

He suppressed a shiver as he remembered the death and destruction it caused, even claiming a few of his good friends. Hell, some people were said to have just vanished and they still didn't know what happened.

Knowing he couldn't sleep now, Miguel decided to head up to the deck when...

''Food!''

He blinked at the cry and looked at Luffy, seeing the teen still fast asleep but drooling. It was obvious that he was dreaming about quite a meal. The young man half-smiled, that was just so typical...

* * *

He sat back and prepared to meditate, a practice his uncle Caelum showed him that had actually become very handy. Not only did it help him increase his power, but it was also a good way to relax and clear his mind.

This was far from the first time that he had such nightmares but he supposed it wasn't too surprising, given what happened in Little Garden. Not that Miguel regretted his choice though, never. He would have hated to stay back out of his phobia while his friends were in danger. After all, that battle had wound up motivating him and his teacher to up their training. The whole reason he wanted to get stronger was so that he could protect...

After ten minutes, he accessed his personal dimension and brought out a notebook, a pen and a pale yellow crystal. He placed the crystal at his side and focused some magic on his hand before tapping it twice. The crystal began to glow with a soft yellow light and he proceeded to begin writing.

This was an idea his aunt Felicia had suggested to deal with the nightmares, considering how bad they were before, writing really helped Miguel vent and gets his thoughts and feelings in order.

Funnily enough, this was how he learned of a misconception he had for years. His parents had actually told their adventures to a scribe and it was that scribe who chose to write them down and suggested they make it out into a book. His parents had wanted to credit him as the author but the man insisted that it should be the three of them. This lead to their collaboration to make two books and the result was quite a success.

This had inspired his aunt to suggest writing in the first place and Miguel came to find that he enjoyed the practice. He wondered what she's think if he showed her what he put together.

* * *

Sanji poked his head out the kitchen, blinking when he saw Miguel walk by ''Oh hey, I wondered who was up and about now. Couldn't sleep?''

''Yeah, pretty much...'' He returned. ''...I'm guessing you're working on breakfast now?''

''Only way to go. You know our shithead captain's going to want food anytime. I swear he's got the nose of a bloodhound.'' The cook muttered, eliciting a bemused look from the quartermaster. ''Anyway, I'm also looking forward to surprising Nami-swan and Vivi-chan with this new recipe. I got too distracted before but now I can't wait to see what that beautiful princess would think of my cooking.''

''Well, for what it's worth, I think you should be expecting good news.''

* * *

Sanji grinned and gave him a thumbs up before going back in. Dorry and Broggy had been kind enough to part with treasure they had come across on Little Garden, which used to belong to the humans who sailed here before. They had no problem letting take their share, particularly when Usopp told them about Miguel's work for Elysia.

Silently thanking the giants again, Miguel knew he had an amount good enough to send some over so he decided to do it shortly after breakfast.

Vivi and Carue observed curiously as the assembled treasure disappeared in a flash of purple light before it was replaced by a few boxes that ranged in size along with a long cylinder and a telescope.

Usopp perked up ''Wow, that's the one you told me about?'' Miguel nodded with a smile and the happy sniper proceeded to hold up the item. ''Whoa! It's just like you said, we wouldn't need magic for it.''

''We learn to handle things in our own way but that doesn't always have to include magic.''

''Gotcha, this is pretty cool!''

''Hey, Usopp let me have a look!'' Luffy said.

''Hold on!''

Vivi watched as Miguel sorted the items out and began putting them away ''So you do this to help your home?''

''Yup, recently, they've begun to send me some things like this...I told them they didn't have to go that far.''

''I'd say it's their way of helping you in return. You are working pretty hard to pull off what you did.'' Zoro stated. If he had been in that situation, he'd want to do something too.

Vivi nodded ''That's really impressive, Miguel.''

''Ah, thanks Vivi. It's not a big deal, just something I chose to do for my people and home. They're very dear to me after all.'' He returned.

Vivi smiled, deciding to leave it at that. While he may not see it as anything special, she didn't doubt that the people back in Elysia appreciated his efforts. Going so far to help Elysia recover and prosper was quite a fear. And she understood just what he meant, she was also working for the sake of her home after all.

* * *

As it so happened, the princess herself happened to be the first to spot quite a problem a short while later...

''Nami?'' She frowned in concern, watching the navigator lean a little against the mast. ''Is everything all right?''

''Oh, Vivi...'' The orange haired girl blinked. ''...y-yeah, just fine. I...''

The words died in her mouth as she swayed on her feet before she began to collapse, leaving an alarmed Vivi to catch her. The blue haired girl immediately noted the flush on her cheeks and how labored her breathing was, she checked the other girl's temperature and her eyes widened when she felt that it was very high.

''Everyone, come here!'' She called. ''Quickly, Nami's sick!''

* * *

They took the navigator to her room and settled her on the bed, leaving her with a cold compress for the moment as they debated what to do.

Usopp frowned ''What caused this?''

''Well, I heard that the ever changing temperatures around the Grand Line has been known to make many sailors ill.'' Vivi mused.

Zoro crossed his arms ''Usopp, did you see any islands nearby?''

''I wish.'' The sniper admitted. ''Even with the new telescope, all I found was sea.''

''Doesn't anyone here have some medical knowledge?'' Vivi inquired.

Luffy and Usopp pointed at Nami and Miguel in response.

The young man in question was already examining the navigator, seeming troubled ''She was doing well before...'' His eyes widened when he saw a particularly swollen bug bite on her side. ''...look at this. I think she wound up getting an infection from Little Garden.''

''Dammit, that really complicates things.'' Sanji cursed. The island was prehistoric after all, who knew where they could find any cure to help her this way?

''Can't Miguel heal her?'' Luffy asked.

''Gee, why didn't we think of that before?'' Sarcasm dripped off Sanji's tone as he retorted. ''Right! Because as he told us before, Miguel can't heal illness! Would we be here if he could?''

''Yeah, it's no good. Plenty of our info on healing magic was lost because of the war...'' Miguel stopped to think before his expression suddenly changed and he headed out.

Luffy blinked ''Hey!''

''Give him a minute, Luffy, he probably figured something out. Anyway, our best bet would be to find a doctor.'' Usopp remarked.

''Yeah, there's definitely doctors in Alabasta, right? How long till we get there?'' Zoro asked Vivi.

''A week, at least...that's too long.''

''How about we feed her a lot?'' Luffy suggested. ''Meat always makes me feel better.''

''It's not that simple, you dope!'' Sanji chided. ''It's true that the right meals help people recover from illness but we need a specialist to know what food to use in the first place. Besides, I always make use the best materials when cooking for the girls. Anything that's rotten or otherwise, goes to you guys.''

''Hey!'' Usopp glared at him.

''Bastard.'' Zoro muttered.

''...You do know that's rather unfair, right?'' Vivi asked disapprovingly.

Unlike them, Luffy didn't seem to mind ''Oh well, it tastes really good anyway...Guys, maybe we're overreacting?''

''Don't know, I've never been sick.'' Usopp and Sanji replied as Zoro headed out.

Vivi's jaw dropped ''Just what are you people?!''

Zoro frowned as headed out, noticing the look on Miguel's face as he came back. That was answer enough to him. After all, Miguel was the only able one with medical experience here. Luffy was wrong, this was bad.

Vivi wound up confirming this a second later We've not overreacting, she shouldn't have such a high fever unless her body's fighting an infection! Whatever's wrong it's possibly life threatening!''

This definitely proved to be the wrong thing to say as it sent the three men before into hysterics.

''YOU MEAN NAMI'S GONNA DIE?!''

''NOOOO!''

''Your screams aren't helping!'' Vivi cried.

''We have to find a doctor now...'' Sanji started.

''All right, stop!'' Miguel cut in. ''How is panicking going to do her any favors? I get that you're worried but at least channel that anxiety into ways to sort this mess out.''

''But how?!'' Sanji and Usopp cried.

''I didn't say I knew how...'' The wizard looked frustrated with himself at this. ''...look, we can at least try looking for the nearest island.''

Zoro knew that was for the best, and so decided to head up and steer the ship since everyone else was here.

''There's no need.'' Everyone started at the familiar voice, turning to see Nami sitting up. ''I'm fine...''

''Oh, she's cured!'' Luffy cheered.

Usopp hit him over the head ''Shut it!''

''Vivi...look at my desk for a newspaper.'' Nami said weakly.

The confused princess proceeded to do so, quickly finding the item. ''...What?!'' She fell to her knees. ''No...''

''Vivi-chan?'' Sanji looked worried.

''This...this says that 3000 of Alabasta's imperial soldiers defected to the Rebel Army and the situation's just getting worse...''

''I got this three days ago.'' Nami admitted. ''I'm sorry I hid it but we can't do much about our speed and I didn't want to worry you. There's nothing anyone can do. You understand right, Luffy?''

''...Things are bad and beyond our control?'' He asked after some thought.

''That sunk in better than I hoped.'' She returned with a smile.

''Yeah, but we need to get you to a doctor, Nami...'' Usopp started to say.

''I'm fine. Look, it's probably a little heat stroke.''

''No, it isn't...'' Miguel began.

''It's okay, really. That thermometer must be broke, no one could have a temperature that high. Appreciate the concern but we need to get to Alabasta.'' She walked up and left the room.

''Wow, she recovered fast...'' Luffy blinked as Miguel hurried after her.

''Isn't it obvious that she's faking?'' Usopp demanded irritably.

Vivi was still staring at the paper ''Now even more blood will be shed throughout the kingdom. We're at war...'' Her eyes began to tear up. ''...If I don't stop this insanity the entire Kingdom of Alabasta will be doomed. Crocodile will move in and seize control! You're trying to get me home safely but there's no time! I need to get there as quickly as possible! If I don't make it back it in time a million innocent citizens will give their lives needlessly!''

''There's a million people there?! Wow!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''Is that seriously all you picked up?!'' Sanji spared him an annoyed look. ''What a horrible burden you have to carry, I'm sorry.''

''Hey, all of you! Get up here!'' Zoro's voice called.

* * *

They found Zoro and Nami talking about steering and currently arguing about her state. ''Oi, Nami says we need to change course!''

''But why? The weather's great!'' Usopp pointed out.

''The wind...'' Nami spoke up. ''...there's a powerful wind coming this way.''

Luffy went to check her temperature ''Whoa, ow, you're burning up!''

''I said I'm fine!'' Nami retorted, pushing his hand away.

''No, you should get back to bed!''

''He's right, Nami-san...'' Sanji started while everyone watched her with concern.

''Just listen to me!'' She snapped.

''Okay, hold on. Where's this wind coming?'' Miguel asked.

''Southwest, and it's drawing closer.''

Miguel tapped the board beneath him twice before a red spell circle flashed, elevating the ship off the sea. Glancing at Nami questioningly, she nodded slightly at the unspoken prompt and pointed out another different direction. Taking them a bit away, he canceled the gravity magic and let the ship descend in said direction.

''Now _you_ need to listen to us.'' Miguel said firmly. ''Look, we can take care of things for now. I learned plenty from working with you. You need to rest.''

Nami made to respond but then Vivi's voice cut in ''Everyone, I have a favor to ask you. As a passenger on your ship, it's not my place but I have no choice. My homeland is in jeopardy of being destroyed so I would appreciate it if we could move even faster! Every minute I'm out here, more of my people could be in danger of dying. We need to head to Alabasta at full speed!''

Most exchanged looks while Zoro's eyes narrowed. She wasn't saying...?

''Of course we will. Just like we promised!'' Nami returned.

Vivi smiled ''Which is why we need to find a doctor! It's the best course of action.''

Surprise and relief went all around at this statement and they all knew the princess was right on the berri.

''Right!'' Luffy smiled. ''No one makes the ship move like Nami!''

''That's for sure.'' Miguel agreed.

''Thanks...Vivi...'' Nami collapsed then, prompting Zoro, who was the closest to catch her.

''Nami-san!'' Sanji exclaimed.

''Damn, she's seriously over doing it...'' The swordsman frowned.

''What the hell is that?!'''

Confused, the two looked at Luffy, who was staring at an enormous cyclone that towered over them in the distance. The lightning and wind were so strong that even though they were at a safe distance, the ship was getting tossed around.

''It's a cyclone!''

''It's huge!''

''And it's in the direction we were taking...'' Miguel realized.

''We just missed it...whoa...'' Usopp's jaw dropped. How did Nami even pull this off? She was so sick and just sensed that...amazing.

''Okay, getting back on track now, let's see about finding that doctor.'' Zoro suggested.

''Yeah, let's do it!'' Luffy agreed.

Sanji picked Nami up and took her back to the room. As he settled her back in the bed, he noticed the bowl filled wiht liquid Miguel had brought earlier.

The cook looked at the wizard ''So what is that stuff?''

''A potion to help with the fever.'' He replied. ''Usually it works with things like a cold better but it should at least help regulate her temperature.''

''Nice.'' Sanji nodded. ''You got anything else that could help?''

''Well there's this tea that should help her relax and so sleep better. It just takes a bit longer to be prepare.''

The blond felt a measure of relief at the words, glad to have someone so resourceful at such a dire time ''Gotcha, we've gotta do everything we can here.''

Miguel nodded back and they left, stopping near Usopp and Luffy ''Guys, can you keep lookout for an island?''

Usopp gave a mock salute ''Count on me!''

''Yeah, no problem!'' Luffy added.

''Sanji, given that Nami basically got us on this course, it seems like a pretty good one. Can you keep steering us this way? I'll join you guys when I finish things on my end.'' Miguel stated.

The cook nodded, he might not have taken this well if it were anyone else seeing as they might have come off as orders but Miguel was just asking. Not to mention, he was really playing to his strengths here. That was the kind of thinking he could get behind. ''No problem, just give it your all.''

The four then took off to do the best they can, their situation now more terse than ever.

* * *

Eventually, things fell into a somewhat calmer pace. While Luffy took moments to go see Nami, Usopp and Zoro focused on look out. Once Miguel took over navigation, Sanji went to cook and he soon wound up joining Vivi as they checked on Nami.

He was pleased to find that the potion and tea Miguel made were useful, particularly the second, which seemed to help Nami sleep very well. He guessed that the potion was made for general purposes to help with common illnesses so its effect was reduced but at least it seemed to somewhat alleviate the worst of the fever's symptoms.

As the night sky sailed in and things slowed down a little, they had a quiet dinner.

''I hate just sitting like this while Nami-swan's suffering. I can hardly even eat...'' Sanji trailed off.

''Don't be like that. We're doing what we can, remember?'' Vivi returned.

''She's right, we need to be at our best to help fix things. Nami's definitely not going to like it if she gets better and finds one of us in a bad way.'' Miguel added.

''That's true...'' The cook had to admit.

''Hey, can't we dump cold water on her to cool her down?''

Luffy quickly wound up regretting the question as Sanji and Vivi proceeded to punch him so hard he slammed into the wall.

''Serves you right.'' Usopp huffed while Zoro rolled his eyes.

Vivi cleared her throat ''Anyway, the potion and the tea you made really made a difference, Miguel. Are they recipes from Elysia?''

He nodded ''Before I could learn healing magic, I had to take some basic medic training. I actually had the idea to travel and help get funds for a while so I've worked my way to prepare as much as possible.''

''Well, all that preparation definitely come in handy here so far.'' Zoro offered.

''Yeah, hate to think where we'd be if you weren't here.'' Usopp added.

Miguel gave a small smile ''That's nice to hear.''

Later, they returned to visit Nami and eventually all fell asleep there. Nami happened to wake up soon after that, surprised to find her friends by her side. The navigator found herself smiling at the sight as she lay down and closed her eyes, certainly feeling better than before.

The pace remained as it were as the Merry Go traversed the ocean, with the crew members working hard to find an island and hopefully, a doctor.

After a while, things took a turn for the strange when Zoro spotted a man standing on water. But it soon turned out he was actually on top of a submarine. Before they really knew it, he had gotten to the ship.

''Well, this is certainly a lucky find. Do you happen to have an Eternal Pose to Drum Kingdom?'' He asked the group at large.

Usopp blinked ''No...we don't even know where that is.''

Vivi on the other hand was thoughtful, she heard of the name before. Something about this man seemed oddly familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it.

''That's a shame. Oh, well...'' He snapped his fingers and a number of soldiers hurried from the submarine to his side. ''...I'll capitalize on this chance and take all you have!''

Zoro reached for his swords ''Like hell, jackass.''

A short fight followed, and it was abruptly ended when Luffy punched the group's leader so hard that he fell in the water. This caused the soldiers to panic and it turned out to be good reason as the man, who was called Wapol, was a Devil Fruit user. This left them with no choice but to hurry and save him.

''We won't forget this!'' One hollered before they left.

''Who was that weirdo?'' Luffy wondered.

''No clue but at least they're out of our hair.'' Usopp said with a shrug.

* * *

It wasn't too long after that when they finally spotted an island...

''Hey, Nami, great news. We've almost reached an island, any minute now!'' Luffy exclaimed happily. ''We'll find a doctor and you're gonna be okay!''

Zoro sighed in exasperation, was he really expecting an answer? She was fast asleep after all. ''We get it, Luffy. Just go outside and look.''

''Yeah!''

The captain grinned as he took in the sights, particularly happy to find that there was snow on the island. He hadn't been around snow in the longest time. This would be great!

He spotted his friends, now all clad in winter gear. ''Hey, guys almost there!''

''Luffy, how are you going about like this?'' Miguel asked.

''Yeah, aren't you cold?'' Usopp added, but Luffy just seemed confused.

''It's ten degrees below zero, that's when bears prepare to hibernate.'' Vivi informed.

They watched as he seemed to think that over before he cried out ''IT'S COLD!''

''Took you long enough!'' Usopp and Sanji cried while Miguel and Vivi sweat dropped as he ran below deck to grab a coat.

''Anyway, looks like we made it, time to decide who wants to go look for a doctor.'' Sanji told everyone. ''I'm definitely going.''

''I'm in!'' Luffy declared as he ran back.

''Me too.'' Miguel added.

''Fine, go have fun!'' Usopp called, and it couldn't be more obvious that he didn't want to go.

Unfortunately, things weren't nearly as simple as they believed it would be.

It looked like someone had spotted their ship approaching the island and immediately noticed the jolly roger. There were a bunch of people gathered at the port, all with weapons at the ready.

One of them stepped up ''That's far enough, pirates! I'll only say this once, your kind isn't welcome here. Leave immediately!''

''We only came here to find a doctor!'' Luffy yelled.

''We have someone who's sick!'' Vivi added.

''Try something else! Like we'd believe that!''

''We're not letting filthy pirates into our island!''

''Yeah, get out of here!''

''Come on!'' Usopp frowned, he could understand concerns because of pirates but the people were making this difficult. They couldn't just leave, they really needed a way to help Nami after all.

It looked like one of the group figured that they weren't about to leave so he aimed his rifle and fired. The shot wound up grazing Sanji's arm, making the cook hiss and recoil in surprise and pain.

''Sanji!'' Luffy scowled and glared at the shooter. ''Why you...''

''Don't!'' Vivi stepped in front of him. ''Everyone calm down, we can't cause trouble now. This will only make it worse!''

The captain's fists clenched ''But they...!''

''You can't retaliate, this isn't the time to fight!''

Miguel thought this over and knew the princess was right. If things kept going like this, the situation would only get worse. This prompted him to act ''We're telling you the truth.'' He proceeded to lower his head, surprising everyone present ''Please, could you at least call a doctor then? Our friend's too weak to get anywhere. If you still refuse to believe it then we'll let you on board to see for yourself. Just please help her!''

Sanji stared at him with wide-eyes, knowing that this couldn't have been easy but he was willing to go the extra mile for Nami. The chef felt his respect for the quartermaster rise at the gesture, not realizing their comrades felt the same.

''Miguel has the right idea,'' Vivi told the crew. ''Fighting won't get us anywhere.'' She bowed as well. ''I beg of you as well, help Nami!''

''Vivi...'' Luffy started.

''You don't deserve to be captain, Luffy.'' The princess cut in harshly. ''We have to think of Nami now!''

''Right, I'm sorry.'' Luffy bowed his head. ''Could you please tell us where a doctor is?''

The tension was so think after that and the group's apparent leader, Dalton, stared at the three, stunned. He spoke after a few moments.

''I'll show you the way. Follow me.''

* * *

Dalton took everyone except Zoro and Carue, who elected to stay on the ship to his home. It looked like the man was trusted by many as his acceptance told the people accompanying him that having them wouldn't be a problem.

Once they were settled in his home, he briefly explained about the island. The place used to be known as Drum Kingdom but months ago, they were attacked by pirates lead by a man called Blackbeard. No one could stand in their way and the island's king Wapol fled with all his men and the island's doctors.

Vivi scowled ''So he left you all to die and saved himself?! Such a coward doesn't deserve to be called a king!''

''I couldn't agree more.'' Dalton returned as he served them warm drinks.

Usopp couldn't help but note something odd ''Wait, you said he took the island's doctors, you mean all of them?''

''It's a little complicated. You see, Wapol set things up so that the island's twenty best doctors would work only for him. That way, whenever someone needs their help, they'd have to beg him to have their aid.''

''Are you serious? This guy must have been a huge tyrant!''

''So we can't find a doctor here after all?'' Luffy clarified.

''There...used to be two doctors who refused who to bow to Wapol.'' Dalton's expression darkened for a moment. He went to the window ''Look here, do you see the castle on top of the mountains?'' Luffy nodded and the man went on. ''It's a castle that lost its king and now the island's only doctor lives there.'' He explained. ''Doctor Kureha, the woman who is known as a witch.''

''Eh? So she has magic?'' Usopp wondered.

''No, that title has more to do with her...character.'' The man admitted.

Miguel couldn't help but think...something about this sounded familiar.

''You've gotta be kidding me! Why there? Can you call her or something? We need her to help Nami-san!'' Sanji exclaimed.

''I'm sorry but I'm afraid there's no way to contact her.'' Dalton returned.

''This is one weird doctor.'' Luffy frowned.

''Really, How exactly does she work anyway?'' Vivi added.

The answer came but not from the source they expected. ''She just travels and does what she sees fit.'' Everyone looked at Miguel, surprised. ''At least that's what I heard years ago...that she's sort of like a hermit that would rather not deal with too much people unless it was on her terms.''

''That's...actually surprisingly accurate.'' Dalton admitted. ''Were you here before?''

He shook his head ''My parents were...I thought something about this island was familiar. They came across it before and that doctor's name is mentioned in one of their journals too. They wanted her to do a checkup.''

''That's perfect! Can you remember where they found her?'' Sanji asked.

''It wouldn't make a difference if I did, that was years ago. Anyway, what do you suggest we do, Dalton? We can't leave things like this.''

''Yes...first things first, can you tell us about her?'' Vivi requested.

''Well, she's almost a hundred and forty years old but her medical skills are quite impressive.'' The man started.

''Hundred and forty? How does she even get anywhere?'' Luffy wondered.

''I don't get it, what do you do when people get sick or injured here? Just cross your fingers and hope she comes by?'' Usopp asked.

''I'm afraid you're more or less on the mark. Your friend's right in saying that she's somewhat or a hermit.'' Dalton admitted. ''She comes down from the castle whenever she wants and she looks for patients. She takes everything from their houses after treating them.''

''That doesn't sound good...how did your parents even deal with her?'' Usopp asked Miguel.

''I'm not really sure...''

''It kinda sounds like she's a pirate.'' Luffy remarked.

''I suppose that's true.'' Vivi agreed. ''How is a woman like that able to get down the mountain?''

''It's an odd rumor so I'm not sure but several of the villagers saw her riding a sleigh of some sorts through the sky. They see her silhouette with the moon out, that's when they started calling her a witch. Apparently, she's helped by a creature none of them recognize.''

''If she's a witch then it could be some kind of snow monster!'' Usopp cringed.

''...We need to go.'' Luffy said after a few moments.

''What?!''

''Wait, you can't be serious!'' Usopp exclaimed.

''Actually, I'm going to have to agree with Luffy here.'' Miguel stated. ''If they have to wait for her, then it's just too risky. We don't even know what kind of disease Nami got considering where it happened, whose to say waiting won't make things worse?''

''But...'' Usopp bit his lip.

''I can't argue with that.'' Sanji exhaled. ''Can I assume that unlike our bonehead captain, you have some plan?''

''One.'' Miguel admitted. ''But I'd need help to pull it off, if you guys can help deal with whatever trouble on the way. If we can get close enough to the mountain, I can fly us up the rest of the way.''

''That's all? Easy!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''Yeah, let's do this.'' Sanji declared.

The rest, who could see how determined the were, knew that there was no talking them out of it. They were going to see things through to the end.

* * *

 _Well, let's stop here._

 _I hope this was good. I like this arc well enough so my only low point was writing about Wapol because man, I forgot how annoying that guy was. As usual, I like to add my own little twist things if I can make it work. Here Kureha has some connections to Elysia partly because of her meeting Miguel's parents. So let's just say she (and by extension Chopper) are pretty well informed about a number of wizards and the situation in Elysia. This will expanded on next chapter._

 _Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a review if possible, till next time!_


	21. Chapter 21

_Whew, back again! Sorry, I really couldn't get into writing for a while. Life was rough. But now I'm trying to get back into the spirit of things and hopefully keep going._

 _beenjammin0421: Thanks! Well, actually you have a point but I didn't think of it like I first started this arc, I considered Luffy, Sanji and Miguel going together as more of a precaution. Also because I really couldn't think of a reason to make those two stay behind in that situation. Anyway, when did I say he's flying over with Meteor?_

 _I tried to work that bit with Miguel's phobia on Little Garden in a couple of ways but all in all, I'm happy with how it came out. Glad you appreciate it._

* * *

Despite another attempt of their friends to stop them, Luffy, Sanji and Miguel went on with Nami ahead as agreed to reach the mountain and eventually, Kureha's home.

The beginning went off with little trouble, Sanji only taking time to remind Luffy to make sure Nami was comfortable. The cook frowned as he glanced at the Drum Rockies ''Man...even from here, you can tell how tall those things are. I'm guessing this is why you want to get to the mountain base, Miguel?''

He nodded ''I just think it's safer this way. I do have a couple of spells to try flying over but I can't be sure that my magic power would last and frankly I'd rather not find out now.''

Sanji hummed ''I hear you, it's definitely better this way.''

''Hey, look!'' The two glanced at Luffy, who pointed at a big white figure with long ears drawing close to them. ''That's a polar bear!''

Sanji squinted ''Nah, polar bears don't have ears like that...it kind of looks more like a rabbit...''

The two were surprised when Miguel requipped his wind sword and waved it around to manipulate the snow around them and raise it to block the creature's sight for a moment. ''Come on.'' Confused as they were, the two knew he had a reason and so followed him.

A few minutes later, Luffy decided to ask ''What was that about?''

''That thing was a Lapin. From what I remember, they're strong and vicious rabbits who live all over this area...''

''Hold on, what?'' Sanji blinked. ''Strong and vicious... _rabbits?''_

''Yeah, that confused me too but seeing as everything matches with what I've heard of Drum, I'm all for believing it.'' Miguel returned with a shrug. ''It's not that we can't fight them, Lapins don't like people and they hold a grudge like mad. If we even tangle with a few, they'd all take it personally. Imagine facing enemies who just keep pressing on and coming back for more in a place they know much better than us with their friends all around.''

The cook cringed ''Okay, point taken. Avoid the stupid rabbits and keep going.'' When Luffy looked at him and made to speak ''Don't even think of arguing, shitty Captain. Nami-san's the main priority here, remember?''

''Right.'' He returned, keeping the objective in mind. It just wasn't in his nature to run from fights but at this point, he would do what was necessary. Nami was counting on them, after all.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dalton, Vivi and Usopp were in front of the first's house, having been there since the group of four left. Even though they couldn't seem them, neither the princess or the sniper wanted to get back inside. They felt like they had to at least be there, not being able to support their friends any differently.

''Sailing the Grand Line without a doctor is just too reckless.'' Dalton remarked.

''Well, Luffy's still looking for crew mates and from what I've heard, this is really the first time such a situation happened.'' Vivi admitted.

Usopp nodded, the only other close call happened with Zoro but Miguel had been able to heal his injuries well.

Dalton sighed ''I see...forgive us, forgive this kingdom for having no other doctors.''

''That's not something you should apologize for.'' Vivi returned.

''She's right. I think it'll be fine, with those three on the case, they'll make it all work.'' Usopp stated confidently.

''Right. I'm sure everything will be okay.'' Vivi nodded.

Dalton's lips twitched, admiring their faith in their comrades ''I hope so.''

* * *

''You know, I've been meaning to ask, when was the last time you read about your parents' adventures? Seems like you remember stuff pretty well.'' Sanji noted.

''Hm, actually I've read all about their work and journals a lot...it may sound strange but it felt like that helped me connect to them in a way.'' Miguel admitted, really it felt like he'd done it so much that he'd memorized those works. ''It's just...those and the stories I've heard growing were all I know of them. That all wound up making me want to travel like they did.''

''Your parents sound really cool! They've been to all sorts of places, huh?'' Luffy grinned when the former nodded. ''Like what?''

''It's quite a variety. From places like South Blue to ones like Fishman Island.'' At the captain's surprised look, he added. ''It's actually a whole lot farther in but it's the home of fishmen and mermaids.''

''We've gotta go there sometime!''

''That sounds great! Mermaids...the jewels of the ocean!'' Sanji almost swooned.

Miguel spared the two a bemused look ''Well, it might be something to look into.''

The cook shook himself as he remembered something ''Oh, come to think of it, your parents must've made some good connections, huh? Nami-san said something about them meeting a fishman who became friends with your family before...''

''Mm, he actually came around to visit us in Elysia too.'' Miguel returned. ''Except, he's pretty busy usually so they were far and between. It's actually been years since we last met.''

''So fishmen really do have some decent folks. Gotta say, meeting Arlong and his bunch leaves a bad taste in your mouth.'' Sanji stated.

''I know but they're actually just like us. They have all sorts of characters just the same as anybody...'' Miguel trailed off, recalling the few fishmen and mermaids he met over the years. ''...The only thing Arlong had right was that humans treated them terribly but he became something just as bad because of all that hate. He...'' He paused, thinking back to their friend. ''...he's nothing like that.''

''If he's your friend, then I think he's a good guy. I wanna meet him!'' Luffy said brightly. ''Hey, did you guys know that people in cold places don't sleep or they'd die?''

Sanji blinked ''What're you talking about? Dalton had a bed in his house.''

''I think it's actually a coffin.''

He snorted ''Yeah, right! Where'd you hear that load of hot air? Usopp?''

''No, it was in a bar.'' Luffy admitted.

''Figures. Whoever said that must have been stoned...'' The cook trailed off.

Miguel half-smiled ''Luffy, you've got your details a little skewed. People can't sleep outside with no covers or anything to keep them warm or they'd freeze.''

''Ohhh...''

''Anyway, did you hear? Women in snow countries have white, silky smooth skin since they rub it because of the cold. It's white because of snow.'' Sanji stated.

Miguel raised an eye ''Where exactly did you hear of that?''

''Yeah, it sounds kinda weird...is that really true?'' Luffy wondered.

''Huh...'' Sanji blinked as he thought back ''...actually, I'm not even sure where I picked it up...it does sound a little too strange...''

The cook paused as he noticed Nami stirring ''Nami-san!''

Closer inspection showed that the orange haired girl hadn't really woken up and he wondered if she was dreaming ''Hurry...Alabasta...'' They heard her murmur.

''She's not even thinking of herself when she's so sick...'' Sanji trailed off, filled with admiration for Nami. ''...you heard the lady, let's step on it!''

* * *

Zoro, who had at first elected to stay at the Merry, wound up getting bored and decided to kill some time. This eventually lead to him beginning to train and finally resorting to swimming even through the icy cold waters of the island.

Deciding to shake off the cold with training to get warmer, he began doing sit ups for a while. Then as he proceeded to jog, he paused as he could've sworn he heard someone screaming.

Looking around, the swordsman spotted something rushing off in the direction opposite his so fast it almost raised a cloud of snow. He was so thrown off then that he never noticed the Lapin running between the trees.

''...What the heck was that?''

Luffy's group ran into little trouble, having to go through a few tricky routes to stay out of the way of some irate Lapins, leaving them to guess that someone had actually angered the rabbits after all. It took some concentrated efforts on their parts to stay out of trouble and their combined work made it all the more easier. One instance took Luffy using his powers to get himself away quickly when they first noticed the rabbits. Another had Miguel once again covering for them again by using the surroundings with magic.

Just looking at the rabbits now had the captain thinking that Miguel was right to be concerned and dealing with that kind of force in their situation would just spell a big problem. They just needed to focus on getting Nami to the doctor.

Sanji exhaled once the three finished jumping over a couple of ledges and glanced back at the Lapins ''Good grief...just by looking at those tracks, you can tell they came a long way. You weren't kidding about them holding grudges, huh?''

''I'm just wondering who's stupid enough to mess with them.'' Miguel admitted. Far as he could tell, they were the only ones who are new to the area...

''Yeesh...since when could a visit to the doctor be this dangerous?'' Sanji shook his head. ''Have I ever mentioned that we're lucky you're here? This could've been a real pain in the neck...''

It was then that they arrived at the base of the mountain. Miguel began concentrating magic as he looked back at the others ''Brace yourselves.''

Luffy and Sanji nodded back, with the former tightening his hold over Nami and watched as he created a red spell circle which glowed before disappearing. Then, before they quite knew it, gravity seemed to have switched off around them as they began to levitate and soar as Miguel did.

''Whoa, this is cool!'' Luffy enthused.

Not all was well though, as they continued their ascent the winds grew much stronger. Thinking fast, Miguel held up his wind sword, which glowed as it released what appeared to be a shield of protective winds aroudn them. He pressed onwards, knowing that they were making headway and they could not stop now...

* * *

''We made it!'' Sanji grinned at the sight of the castle once they were lowered at the top of the Drum Rockies.

Luffy perked up as well, though he stopped in his tracks when he noticed Miguel faltering and holding the side of his head. ''You all right?''

''I will be...that just took more than I expected...'' He trailed off. It was just good that his skill with Requip magic made it so that the shield could be kept up with little effort from him. There was no denying the drain it had on him. He'd only had little experience with spell-casting like that though and wondered if the overall effects would be better with experience.

''You did great,'' Sanji praised. ''Let's see about finding that doctor now.''

Nodding, they all made their way to the castle. It was a few minutes later that they found Doctor Kureha. And she was nothing like one would have expected.

For one thing, while she had the body of a young woman, her face was more of a proof towards her actual age. Not that anyone would have guessed she was a hundred and thirty-nine anyway, she clearly had no problem getting around and by the large sack she was carrying when they found her, she was stronger than she appeared.

''Oh, now what do we have here?'' She tilted her head.

''Hey, old lady! You're...'' Luffy never got around to finish because she swiftly kicked him a second later.''...what was that for?!''

''Watch what you say, brat. I'm only one hundred thirty-nine, thank you very much.'' She huffed. ''That being said-would you like the secret to how I stay so young and lively?''

''That's not what we're here for.'' Sanji said impatiently. ''Look, old hag, we just...''

Despite his rush, he wound up regretting his words immediately as Kureha kicked him next. ''Clearly, you're about as bright as your friend.''

Miguel sweatdropped ''You're...really strong for all that's said and done. Appearances can be deceiving.''

She cracked a grin ''Why thank you, good to see someone who thinks before they open their mouth. Well, looking at you all now, I can guess how you came here. I think you likely know but my name is Kureha.'' She nodded as the wizard introduced himself and the others. ''So what happened to the girl?''

''We stopped on this strange island on our way and we're pretty sure something there got her sick. It probably sounds strange but that place was still in the prehistoric times so we were at a loss of what to do.'' Sanji explained.

''Makes sense.'' At their surprise, Kureha waved a dismissing hand. ''I've heard stranger tales. Follow me.''

* * *

Sanji watched in awe as Kureha proceeded to examine Nami and quickly figured out her disease. Apparently, it was caused by a tick called a Kestia and she had everything she needed to prepare the medicine.

That was such a relief! For all her eccentricities, Kureha was just the help they needed in this dire situation.

Since she'd asked them to leave and let her focus on her work, Sanji decided to take matters into his own hands and see about what she wanted for payment. Since Dalton had warned them beforehand, the cook wasn't too surprised when she chose all of their supplies and treasure, which of course they couldn't agree to.

''Can't we get you anything else?'' Luffy asked.

''Miguel can probably help us out with payment but...hold on, where is he anyway?'' Sanji blinked.

''I think he's still looking around...'' Luffy offered.

The cook exhaled ''Oh well, that can wait. Look, Doctorine, I saw a bunch of doors that were completely frozen. I'm guessing you can't use those rooms, right?''

''Yeah, what about it?''

''Well, how about we see about opening them up for you? It's your home, so if we found anything inside, it's yours. Miguel's good about saving up money and stuff, he can help out too.''

Kureha hummed, considering the suggestion ''Hmm...I can work with that. You look like the sort who's better to keep busy anyway-especially this one.'' She cast Luffy a pointed glare. He'd almost broken a bunch of her bottles in his rush to get over here. ''Well, get to it then. My apprentice has been trying to deal with those rooms in his spare time so there's a few supplies to help in the next room. I'll decide on the matter of payment depending on your work.''

''All right!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''That's more than fair, leave it to us.'' Sanji returned.

* * *

Miguel hadn't quite realized how tired he wound up until he woke up on a couch in one of the other rooms. He wasn't even sure when he fell asleep but at least he felt better...

A loud crash resounded from somewhere nearby, making him start and look out the window. Before he really knew it, the door opened and he could've sworn something rushed in. Moments later, Luffy and Sanji came by.

''Hey, Miguel's up!'' The first exclaimed. They'd found him asleep earlier but neither had the heart to wake him up and silently agreed to let him rest.

Sanji blinked ''Oh, well that's good...''

''Hey, we're in a hurry, did you see a reindeer come by?''

Miguel blinked ''Reindeer?''

''Yeah! There's one living here and we wanted to eat...''

Sanji intervened ''Give him a break, Luffy, he just woke up. Let's go look somewhere else.'' The two ran.

Miguel spoke up after almost a minute. ''...You can come out now.''

A little sound came as if in response before a small bipedal blue nosed reindeer came ou. It wore red pants and a large pink hat, poking its head out from underneath the table ''...Y-you knew I was here?''

''I thought I heard someone come in.'' He shrugged. ''Huh...I guess you are a reindeer with those antlers...''

''What do you mean, you guess?!''

''Ah, sorry, they just confused me.''

The reindeer pouted but decided to let that one go. ''...How come you didn't tell your friends?''

''I didn't see why I should. Helping them eat you is just too much...you're Doctorine's apprentice, right?''

The reindeer stared at him ''Y-yeah...you can tell?''

''Well, she flat out said that you two were the only ones here and that her apprentice were making Nami's medicine.'' He added, looking at the vial the reindeer was holding. ''I don't see who else it could be.''

''Oh...''

''So if anything, thank you for the help.'' Miguel went on, not noticing the reindeer stiffen as he sat down. ''Is Nami doing better?''

The reindeer nodded ''Doctorine's medicine is really effective. With that, she'll just need to rest and everything will be okay.''

Miguel sighed in relief ''That's great...it's really lucky we found you two. She's pretty skilled to figure it all out so quickly and so are you to make this all work.''

''S-saying things like that won't make me happy so stop it!'' The reindeer cried out, confusing him. It seemed angry but the dance and the happy expression on its face said volumes.

Miguel wondered if it was just that the reindeer was not used to praise but he decided to leave it at that for now ''Moving on then, I'm Miguel. What's your name?''

''Oh...I'm Chopper.'' The reindeer responded. He wasn't sure what to make of all this. Meeting the human's friends had scared him (rightfully) as they only seemed to deem him food. But Miguel was kind, clearly unusual but he was so nice. The only other person to treat him well besides Doctorine had been his father...

''...I don't get it. How come you're so okay with this?'' He had to ask. Miguel gave him a puzzled look and elaborated. ''Well, I'm a reindeer but I don't even look like one sometimes and even your friends said I was a monster. And now you just act like this is all okay?''

''You're not scaring me if that what you're getting at.'' Miguel replied. ''I met some animals who could talk before.''

Whatever Chopper expected, it hadn't been that ''Wow, really?''

''Yeah, granted, most had magic anyway. It seems you have something that lets you do the same. But it's not so strange, I think it's cool in fact. You've gotta be pretty smart to learn this stuff, you're even making medicine.''

''I-I don't need your praise so stop it!'' He exclaimed, doing another happy dance.

Miguel looked amused ''Well, for someone called a monster you're positively adorable. It's hard to be shaken up by stuff like this when you grow up around magic.''

''Really?'' Chopper supposed that made sense. Magic did offer numerous possibilities and it only left him wondering what the young man had seen in his homeland. ''Doctorine does have some friends who are wizards so I've heard stories...'' Kureha had once mentioned how open minded wizards tended to be so in a way, this stance wasn't too surprising to the reindeer. ''...hey, are you guys really pirates?'' Chopper perked up when Miguel nodded. ''Wow! What's that like?''

''Heeh, so you like pirates, Chopper?''

''Yup! They're so cool!''

Miguel smiled ''Well, as for your question...we're not like your conventional crew. How about I tell you about us for starters?''

''Okay!'' Chopper beamed.

Both were oblivious to Kureha watching them from behind the gap in the door with a crooked grin as she thought. 'Well now, Maria, Alexander, it seems your baby grew up into quite a likable character.'

* * *

Chopper had to leave after a while to get back to helping Kureha, just realizing then how much he'd gotten into Miguel's stories. Their adventures were great and Miguel was so friendly...it was strange but good to find someone treating him like this. He'd practically forgotten about any bit of nerves he had talking to the wizard, who was so accepting.

''So that was quite the chat you had back there.''

He blinked at his mentor, who smirked as she walked up to him ''Y-you heard us?''

''I didn't think you'd wind up becoming friendly with any of that bunch. Though I suppose it's really no surprise in a way, hm? To think that kid would actually wind up here.'' Kureha mused.

Chopper gave her a curious look ''You make it sound like you know about Miguel...''

''In a way, I do. His parents came to me years ago for a check up. I wasn't sure at first but it's really hard not to notice how much he takes after them.'' The woman grinned. ''Even months before the kid even came along, you could tell they were thrilled to bits. It was a bit too sappy for me but it was plain as day how much they loved their child even then.''

Chopper couldn't help grinning at that ''It's just like you to say that.''

She responded by cuffing him lightly on the head ''Oh, hush you. Let's get back to work.''

* * *

Sanji held back a groan, just when they start making good progress, Luffy had to goof off. He'd thought it was okay to have Luffy use the pickax they found to break the ice around a few of the doors and for a while it was. But then Luffy had declared that he was getting bored and tossed the ax aside-with it almost hitting the newly arrived Kureha in the process-and opted to see if he could get the door open with a punch.

''You ungrateful brats!'' Both stiffened at the irate doctor's tone. ''You know, I actually went out of my way with the payment so you can at least half the decency to meet me half way. Instead I find you fooling around instead of working like we agreed.''

Sanji winced ''I'm sorry-you're right. Not that it's an excuse but Luffy has the attention span of a goldfish.''

She harrumphed ''Clearly. Lucky for you, your friend actually did have something good to offer.''

Kureha had talked to Miguel shortly after Chopper left and she was pleasantly surprised to find that he did keep some treasure around from his travels and so had given her some to help with payment. Due to her connections in Elysia, Kureha was fully aware that the whole reason Miguel started gathering the treasure in the first place was to help his homeland and she had no intention of impeding that, thus she made sure to watch the amount she had taken. She might not admit it easily (or at all in some cases) but she liked her friends there and frankly, she was of the firm opinion that they deserved far better than what they got because of the ridiculous prejudice against them.

The fact that Sanji appeared guilty was at least a little satisfying. Luffy, however?

''Ah, just take it easy, old lady.''

Chopper cringed, knowing what was going to happen. Sure enough in seconds, the captain was slammed on the floor, having been kicked hard by the doctor once again.

''You really are an idiot, aren't you?'' She grunted.

Luffy happened to notice Chopper then ''Oh, it's you! Sanji, we better get cracking on that food!''

''Don't need to tell me twice-...'' The cook started.

Chopper recoiled and quickly retreated, missing Kureha glaring at the two. ''Don't even think about it, you brats. Now get back to work or I'll really take everything you own!''

The threat was more than sufficient, quickly making sure that the two got back to work.

* * *

Since Miguel was now aware of the deal, he opted to help out. Using his ice sword, he was able to break through the doors he came across with little trouble.

''Whoa, that's handy...''

He blinked at the voice and turned to see Chopper watching him ''Yeah, just working with what I can here.''

''Say, don't you know any fire magic?'' The reindeer inquired, thinking of the times he'd resort to lighting fires to melt all the ice.

''That's...'' Miguel faltered. He really didn't want to talk about that particular issue now, especially with how it tended to lead to his phobia. ''...let's just say I'm really bad at fire magic. This way is just better.''

''Oh...okay.'' Chopper had a feeling that there was a story there but he didn't think he had the right to press on the matter.

''Say, did something happen? I thought I heard people shouting just a little while ago.'' Miguel admitted.

This made Chopper remember and he pouted ''...Your friends are insane.''

The latter couldn't help but chuckle at this ''What did they do?''

''They tried to eat me, again!''

''Yeah? Sounds like a real waste.''

Chopper blinked ''It does?''

''Sure, eating a talented little guy like you? Absolute waste.''

''S-shut up, praise won't make me happy!'' He said bashfully before shaking himself. ''They...he said I was a monster...just like those people did...''

''For what it's worth, you couldn't be. At least not in the sense you have in mind.'' Miguel cut in.

''What do you mean?''

''Well, the way I see it, there's two types of monsters, the actual beasts and stuff and then there's anyone who does terrible things. I know both sound bad, but think about it, you can't choose what you're born as. I don't really think appearances matter but wouldn't the first choice be better than people like the pirates who attacked the island? It's what you make of it that counts.''

''Oh...'' Chopper had to admit, he never thought of it like that but this made sense to him. He was distracted as they passed a corridor. ''...hey, your friend's here.'' He pointed at a nearby room and Miguel paused, a lot of the doors looked similar so he wound up missing it.

Nami turned as the door opened, smiling at the sight of her fellow crew mate, who returned her smile.

''You're looking a lot better, Nami.''

''Well, I'm sure feeling it. Doctorine's medicine works great.'' She returned, noticing Chopper then. It was actually hard not to. The reindeer was trying to hide but while he intended to hide behind the door, he stood in the opposite direction. ''You know...you're doing that wrong. The hiding thing.''

Chopper stiffened, embarrassed ''Sh-shut up!''

''You don't have to hide, I told you before, remember? They'll understand, especially once they know you.'' Miguel offered.

''E-even if you say that...'' The reindeer shuffled a foot awkwardly.

Nami looked at them curiously, noting how the reindeer seemed more relaxed around her friend. ''Hey, did your parents come to this island?'' Miguel looked back at her. ''Doctorine brought it up-apparently, she figured out who you were within just a few minutes of meeting you. She said something about how the Arcadia family really stands out among wizards.''

''Oh...'' Miguel blinked. ''...I'm not sure about it standing out but...it might have to do with our efforts in rebuilding Elysia.''

''Doctorine said it's more because of all you've done. Your family was practically a leading force after the war and even now, people described you all as a light that inspired them to keep going.'' Chopper recalled.

''Well, how about that?'' Nami was impressed. That alone was enough to tell how much work and effort they put in. ''Looks like someone's being humble.''

''It's...not such a big deal, really.'' Miguel looked sheepish. ''We just did the best we could. It was for the sake of our home and people, anyone would have done it.''

Little did he know, that made it actually sound all the more cooler to Chopper. Nami smiled, she didn't doubt for a second that Miguel's actions would likely have only earned him more fame back in Elysia. ''So, I've been wondering how did they take you being a pirate?''

''They were surprised but in the end, they decided it didn't matter. People back home don't trust the government anyway so they couldn't care less what it decides about pirates. We've met some pretty good pirates anyway and their characters spoke volumes over any reputation, that's good enough.''

''Fair point.'' Nami would have thought that was a little too reckless before joining this crew but now she more than understood.

Chopper thought the Elysians were certainly justified. He had heard more than his fair share of details from Doctorine. The situation with Elysia had earned the world government a bad reputation which it had yet to fully shake. Frankly, the reindeer believed they had it coming in spades.

''Actually, I was wondering-Chopper, before you mentioned a dream, but you just said you didn't know if it could happen. Why?'' Miguel wanted to know.

''W-well, actually...'' Chopper poked his hooves together, not meeting his gaze. ''...it's just...'' He didn't think he was ready to talk about that. ''...umm, I better go!''

The reindeer hurried and left the room before either could stop him. Nami frowned a bit ''I guess it's a sore subject...then again, we are strangers to the little guy. Expecting him to open up to us is a bit much.''

''Yeah...'' Miguel made a note to apologize to the little doctor when he got the chance. ''...we were just getting along so I didn't think much of it...''

''Hey, I was thinking...what do you say to getting him on our crew?'' Nami asked.

Miguel looked surprised ''Well, it sounds good...and he does like pirates. But after what just happened...I think we should try to get to know him first.''

''Can't argue with that.'' She nodded. The question was, how would they go about it?

* * *

 _Okay, let's stop here._

 _I hope the chapter was good. Honestly, I just wouldn't know where to cut it off otherwise. It just feels kinda shaky but I guess it has to do with how long it's been since I last got to writing. Oh, about that bit about the Lapin-Wapol and his flunkies had the bad luck to piss them off and so they helped make sure he was derailed big time._

 _Well, till next time!_


	22. Chapter 22

_beenjammin0421: Oh, thanks! Glad you think so. I've got a bit of trouble in wrapping up the Alabasta arc. I'm almost half way through it but I'm still working on going all the way. I hope life treats you well too._

* * *

After finding that Luffy had taken off instead of keeping track on their work for Kureha, an irritated Sanji had headed off to find him. But since the castle was big and he had no idea where to go, his search was fruitless. He'd eventually wound up near the room Nami was resting at and so decided to check on the navigator.

* * *

Nami was thinking about the earlier exchange with Chopper, wondering if there was a way to figure out why it went like that.

When she found that Kureha had come back in to work on something, she decided to ask ''Doctorine, I was wondering...'' Kureha looked at her. ''...could you tell me about Chopper?''

''Oh? So my little apprentice has you curious?''

''Kinda, yeah...'' She admitted. ''...it's just-well, he looked like he was getting along with Miguel nicely. And he was clearly fascinated when he found out we were all at sea to accomplish our dreams. But then he started acting pretty strange when Miguel asked him about his own dream.''

''Ah...I imagine he would.'' The woman nodded. ''Do you know that the kid was the first in a long time to treat Chopper simply as a person just like anyone else?''

Nami blinked ''Really?'' Well, she guessed that the reindeer's obvious differences would make that an issue but she had a feeling that there was more to it.

Kureha made to speak but then the door opened and Sanji came in, perking up at the sight of Nami. ''Nami-swan! I'm so glad you're all right!''

''Yeah, yeah, I'm fine...'' The girl faltered, while she didn't want people making a big deal over, she realized that wasn't quite fair to someone expressing their concern. ''...er, sorry for worrying everyone.''

''You're too kind! You shouldn't ever be sorry, I wish I could've spared you such a terrible time...''

''No point in whining, lover boy. What's done is done.'' Kureha huffed.

Nami hummed in agreement ''So like I was saying, it just looked like those two could actually be friends but at the same time, Chopper practically clammed up and ran back there...''

The doctor sighed ''That doesn't surprise me...You need to understand, friends are something that could happen to anyone for us but so far as Chopper is concerned, it's almost a complete unknown frontier. You speak of them as something simple, but it's always been something he dreamed of.''

Sanji raised an eye, now curious ''...When you say it like that, I guess the little guy had quite a rough time, huh?''

''You don't know the half of it.'' Kureha returned before she proceeded to tell them everything.

Chopper had been born with a blue nose, something that made him a pariah in his own herd. He was left alone and starved, none of them would help and he had to get by on his own. One day he was apparently so hungry and desperate for food that he wound up eating the only fruit he came across that day. It was the Human Human fruit that lead to the transformation they saw today.

Chopper had no chance of living peacefully in the forest after that. None of the animals would apparently have it. Thus he left for one of the towns, thinking he could perhaps stay there. But the humans deemed him a yeti, a monster and shot him on sight. He'd barely escaped that incident in a chance before he came across the man would become his father in all but blood. Dr. Hililuk.

The man was known to be a quack doctor with some bizarre remedies, leaving anyone wary of being treated by him. But at the same time because of Wapol's rules, he and Kureha were the only free doctors around. While he may not know his craft like others would, there was no denying that Hililuk was full of heart. He was impulsive and sometimes rather reckless but he went so far because he truly cared about the kingdom and its people and he wished them well.

Hililuk took care of Chopper and they bonded while the latter was recovering. While it looked like all was well, there was still more trouble ahead. Hililuk had decided to kick Chopper out one day after his recovery and the reindeer, who had really grown to like the man, is left pleading with him for a chance to stay. The doctor had tried to make it look like this had to happen and he didn't want anything to do with Chopper, but the latter's pleas had gotten through to him and he couldn't find it in his heart to kick the little guy out.

The real reason behind his earlier actions? Hililuk was hiding the fact that he had an incurable disease and he didn't want to die on Chopper, who he had grown fond of. He had more or less effectively adopted the reindeer, giving him his name too.

But the reindeer wound up discovering the truth anyway, having overhead a conversation between Kureha and Hilliuk about his disease. Hililuk wasn't concerned though, recalling the story of a thief who had contracted a dangerous illness but he had seen something here that moved him so much that he was cured, his heart was cured instantly by the treausre and Hililuk admits that he was almost done recreating it and Kureha scoffs at him for what she calls a waste of time, admitting that she couldn't believe he wasted all this time on that. But he didn't believe it was a waste, he wanted to use his creation to help the people of Drum.

Chopper, who had been reading his father's books, had discovered something that would help, a mushroom that would cure any disease. Thus he immediately went to get it. The experience had been dangerous for more reason than one but he thought it was worth it to help Hililuk and had shown him the result later, leaving the man floored but he thanks him for all the effort.

Around the same time, Wapol launches a scheme to deal with the two free doctors so he lies to everyone and mourns how the 20 doctors present with him had gotten ill. This wound up worrying Hililuk, who immedately ran to the castle. Kureha was disgruntled, having found the whole thing suspicious for more than one reason and she didn't think he should've believed it, especially in his state. Chopper told her about the medicine he prepared with the mushroom but the description left her alarmed and she quickly demanded details. It turned out the mushroom in question was actually poisonous!

Chopper was floored as the fact sinks in and he resorted to going to catch up to Hililuk. Unfortunately, Kureha's suspicions were right on the berri and no one was sick. Hililuk is completely relieved, despite Wapol declaring this a chance to kill him. The man grinned, not believing it would happen as he declared that a man would only die when he was forgotten. Wapol merely mocked him for this stance but Hililuk managed to inspire Dalton (who had been working for him) at that moment. The doctor may be going out but it would be on his own terms. Asking Dalton to spare Chopper's life as he knew the reindeer would come to find him, he proceeded to drink something that took his life, to general shock.

Wapol began to deride him some more, declaring that he really was crazy. This angered the newly arrived Chopper, who would've attacked the man had Dalton not interfered and calmed him down, reminding him that this was not what Hililuk would want. The reindeer had no choice but to leave after but he found Kureha and asked her to teach him, wanting to complete Hililuk's dream after having made it his own.

To be the miracle cure that would conquer any disease out there.

''And that's that.'' Kureha concluded. ''Wapol fled when those pirates attacked and we moved up here. I've been teaching him ever since. Even when we visit the towns, people only look at my apprentice and see a monster, like always.''

Nami felt terrible for the little doctor ''That's...that's awful...''

''Damn...I knew that tub of lard was a huge problem but this?'' Sanji looked disgusted as he thought over Wapol's actions.

''That's why I have to wonder about what you said regarding friends...I wonder if Chopper can even see himself getting some...'' Kureha said wistfully.

* * *

Around the same time...

Chopper was with Miguel again, still curious about the latter, who was preocuppied by fulfilling Doctorine's deal.

He felt bad regarding his earlier escape from the talk before. He just hadn't wanted to talk about dreams. A part of him was scared to see what they would think if they found out the truth.

''Hey, about before...?'' The reindeer blinked up at him. ''Sorry, it looked like what I said in the room upset you.''

Chopper felt worse at this. It really hadn't, he was already liking Miguel and didn't think the young man meant any harm. ''Y-you didn't...I'm sorry...that's my fault. It's just...well...''

''You don't have to say it if you don't want to.''

''Th-thanks...''

''There you are!'' The two started at the voice, seeing Luffy arrive.

''You again?! Leave me alone!'' Chopper cried.

Luffy grinned ''Come on! Let's you and me be friends! Please, I really, really, really do like you, you know?''

Chopper looked shocked ''You...like me?'' He looked at Miguel. ''And you too?''

He nodded ''What's not to like?''

''Yeah, exactly!'' Luffy agreed, both missing Chopper's embarrasment. ''I bet you'd be a great pirate!''

''Y-you're making fun of me, right?!'' The reindeer demanded.

''What? No!''

''Knowing Luffy, he probably thinks you're interesting.'' Miguel offered, making the reindeer blink.

''Really? But the way he acted before...'' He faltered as he remembered Miguel's words about being called a monster. ''...so he doesn't mind having a monster...?''

''What do you mean? I'm a monster too!''

Chopper almost gaped at that. He'd never heard anyone state such a thing so casually. It had him wondering if Luffy also believed in Miguel's mind set regarding this issue.

''Hoo boy, you should see him around food.'' Miguel said wryly, trying to inject some levity in the situation. ''You wouldn't find a bigger monster anywhere. And his strength? Luffy can knock it with the best of them.'' Luffy beamed at him. ''It's like I told you, would you rather be weak and helpeless or strong enough to protect what you care about? That's what it really boils down to.''

''Oh...'' Chopper liked the sound of that. If he was stronger, he could do his best to make sure he wouldn't lose a thing again...

Luffy looked between them ''Hey, if you're going to be friends with Miguel then be my friend too. You should join us!''

''W-what?!'' Chopper yelped.

''I think you're cool and it'll be fun to sail with you. Join my crew!''

''I can't...''

''Tell you what, how about we introduce you to our friends and then we'll see what happens?'' Miguel suggested.

''I-I don't know...'' Chopper said nervously.

''Come on, it sounds...'' Luffy blinked, seeing something coming through the window. ''...Hey, what's that?''

''?'' Chopper and Miguel followed his line of sight, seeing the large figure making its way through to the castle.

Chopper growled, recognizing the hippo and its rider ''Wapol...''

* * *

After the reindeer warned Kureha, everyone sans Nami headed out the castle to confront the ex-king, who was still on his mount and followed by three men, Chess, Kuromarimo and Dio. The former two had been his loyal right and left hand men for years and Dio was of a more recent addition after Dalton had turned on them.

''It's that tub of lard again...'' Sanji trailed off.

''I have returned to my castle!'' Wapol declared.

Kureha gave him a dry look ''It isn't yours anymore, you fool.''

The man almost balked ''What're you doing here?!''

''Your majesty, look!'' Dio pointed at the top of the castle, where a pirate flag with a jolly roger that had sakura petals was placed.

''Why is that quack's flag here?!''

Chopper growled at this but Kureha put a hand on his head ''You sure picked some time to come crawling back here.''

Chess bristled ''Treat the king with respect, you old hag!''

''So this guy really was a king?'' Sanji clarified. Not that they had reason to doubt Dalton but after everything they heard, it was a little hard to believe.

''He sure doesn't seem like it, right? How do you know him anyway?''

''He attacked us before and tried eating part of our ship!'' An annoyed Luffy replied.

Wapol scowled ''I am still a king! Nothing has changed, so treat your betters with dignity, you peasants!''

Sanji scoffed ''Better? Show me someone better first.''

''You've got some nerve!'' Dio snapped.

''That's right, this is Wapol, the king and absolute ruler of Drum Kingdom!'' Kuromarimo cried.

''He's the man who ran away and left everyone to die when they needed help the most.'' Miguel said coldly. Privately, he agreed with Vivi. The man didn't deserve to be called king. ''Respect is earned, not demanded. All we're looking at here is a tyrant who is in fact just a coward who won't do his job.''

''That's right! Drum Kingdom died a long time ago.'' Chopper stated.

''You little brats!'' Wapol snapped.

''As if!'' Chess yelled. ''You are addressing this country's monarch, the most excellent of excellencies! For shame!''

''I am the most important person in the kingdom!'' Wapol boasted. ''The people all owe their lives to me and I control everything here!''

''Get real.'' Luffy retorted. ''You're just a coward with a big mouth.''

The four became even angrier at this and Wapol's minions began berating them again. The ex-king growled ''I've had it! I'll put you all to death for this!''

He didn't get far as Luffy immediately punched him at this, leaving Chopper and the three minions surprised.

''I've had enough of that talk.''

''How dare you?! He is the king!'' Dio exclaimed.

''I don't care! He ticked me off again!'' Luffy retorted.

''His arm just stretched! Just what is he?'' Chopper wondered.

Sanji grinned ''A monster.''

''You ingrates!'' Kuromarimo snapped, going for his bow and firing what looked like big black balls of hair. Two hit Sanji's leg and the cook proceeded to try shaking them off. ''It's no use.''

Chess notched an arrow which he set on fire but Miguel requipped his water sword and made a swipe that seemingly hit nothing but the sword released a wave of water that immediately stopped the attack. He proceeded to get the balls of Sanji with Telekinesis magic. Thanking him, the cook went on to kick Chess. The man barely managed to get away in time, using the snow as cover.

''Hah, how do you like that?! You won't win, we know this field better than anyone!'' Chess boasted. Little did he know that Sanji was already following his voice.

''Take my Surprise Marimo attack!'' Kuromarimo unleashed a number of spikes, leaving the cook distracted as he jumped away to dodge.

Wapol smirked ''He'll be the first to prove our superiority, take him down!''

''I wouldn't go getting a big head now.'' Sanji jumped to his far left, having figured out where Chess was. In seconds, he kicked the man hard and slammed him down.

''N-no way!''

Kuromarimo tried to notch another arrow but he was forcefully stopped by Luffy, who launched a Gum Gum Pistol then. That was when Dio made his move, surprising the captain by somehow creating what looked like copies of himself and attacking him and Sanji.

Miguel flew in with Meteor, stopping the attacker and all his doubles cold with a vast shining golden shield that covered all of them, to the enemy's surprise.

''Che, it doesn't matter. Finish them all off!'' Wapol ordered.

''At once!'' The three returned.

''Just try it!'' Luffy retorted.

* * *

Chopper couldn't help but stare in awe. No matter what Wapol said, the battle was definitely going well for the Straw Hat pirates. He didn't remember the last time anyone stood up to those people, much less handle it so well. Wapol's three minions kept trying to sneak around and use any sort of underhanded means but their opponents always met them head on and stopped them cold. The three pirates were amazing...

Dio tried to distract them all with his clones, having a good number of knives on hand before he jumped at Miguel. The quartermaster aimed his wind sword before casting Wind Burst, the fast spell catching the man off guard and sending him flying. Smirking, Sanji seized on the opportunity before kicking Dio and his clones, most of which disappeared then.

''Huh, it doesn't look like they can take much hits.'' He noted. ''So whatever this trick is, you're basically setting up meat shields.''

Dio growled and Kureha grinned ''I couldn't agree more.''

Chess and Kuromarimo were squaring off against Luffy and Miguel and they were hardly better off than their comrade. The latter tried to take advantage of the field and set up traps while using his archery to hold Luffy back while the former resorted to close combat to fight Miguel.

He was left frustrated when they clashed again, having believed that he could come out on top. Though he tried taking advantage of one of his partner's traps and when Miguel blocked his attack with his sword, he pushed down so the spikes nearby knocked it away.

''A swordsman without his sword is useless!'' He laughed before making to punch his opponent.

A second later, Miguel was surrounded by a faint golden aura which centered around his fists and feet before he ducked the attack and kicked Chess hard enough to stun him. He followed that up with a pair of punches, the second one forceful enough to throw him down.

''I'm not nearly naive enough to think that I can get by by relying on my swords alone.'' He stated.

''Wow...'' Chopper uttered. ''...it's like he got a whole lot faster-was that some kind of magic?''

''Yes, Heavenly Body magic if I'm not mistaken.'' Kureha half-smiled. ''Users of that magic would hardly get by relying on weapons. The ones who truly understand their power train to be strong of body and mind. That idiot never stood a chance against the kid.''

Kuromarimo had gotten to hide in the snow again and tried to pelt Luffy with various arrows. While at first, the idea seemed to be working, the captain eyed the area closely before he smirked and jumped.

''Gum Gum Stamp!''

''Gah!'' The man gasped, the speedy strike throwing him out of hiding and onto the ground.

Wapol growled ''What're you all doing?! Quit fooling around!''

Kureha smirked ''Even someone as thick as you should know a lost battle when he sees one.''

''Yeah, so come and fight if you dare.'' Sanji taunted. ''You sure like to act tough by ordering those suck-ups around, huh?''

''Be silent!'' The ex-king snapped. ''I've had enough of all this disrespect and mockery. I'll show you what I'm really about!''

What was the first thing he did to follow up on that promise, you may? He grabbed Chess and Kuromarimo and ate them!

Chopper cried out in shock and Luffy recoiled ''What the heck is wrong with that guy?!''

Kureha raised an eye while Miguel and Sanji looked bewildered ''That's a new level of weird even for Wapol.''

''You peasants, I'm a user of the Munch Munch fruit! So I can use anything I eat to my advantage. Behold my power, time for the Munch Munch factory!'' Wapol called just as Chess and Kuromarimo re-emerged.

''I am Chessmarimo!''

They now looked twice as tall, both their arms were evident but only a single pair of legs and it looked like their clothes had combined somewhat.

''...So that's all the fanfare was about? Those two piggybacking off each other?'' Miguel wondered.

Sanji and Kureha laughed loudly and Luffy sniggered at that while their enemies were left irate.

''It really does look that way, huh?'' The doctor cackled.

''Yeah, if anything the only thing that kind of fused is their clothes.'' Sanji agreed.

''You just fail to realize our king's power!'' Chessmarimo grunted.

''Yes...but that doesn't matter...'' Wapol turned his arm into a cannon and aimed at the top of the castle, firing a cannonball then.''...I'm sick of seeing that damn quack's flag, I'll take it down now!''

''No, don't!'' Chopper said at once. Sanji had wondered about the item but upon seeing this reaction and how Kureha's face darkened, he understood...it was Hililuk's flag.

Luffy and Miguel, who didn't know the truth, also seemed to realize that this flag held a sort of significance. This incited the latter to act, halting the cannonball and tossing it away with his Telekinesis magic.

''You...'' Chopper stared at him.

''I may not know just what the story is behind the flag but it's important to you, right? That's enough for me.''

''Why you impudent...'' Wapol glowered at the wizard.

Chopper glared at him ''How dare you try to destroy Doctor's flag?! You have no right!''

''Doctor?! Oh, please, that quack doesn't deserve the title! He couldn't save a fly!''

This proved to be the tipping point for the reindeer, who attacked the ex-king in his anger, but Wapol pushed him down.

''Don't you dare badmouth him! Doctor even tried to save you!'' Chopper snapped as he got up.

''Wait, now that I look closer at you, you're that monster from back then.'' He recalled.

''I...I won't hurt if you just leave the country forever!''

''What're you thinking Chopper?!'' Kureha snapped. ''You can't trust that bastard's word!''

''Yeah, use your head! Like hell he's gonna agree to this!'' Sanji added.

''But...Doctor said...''

Miguel, who had been paying attention to the whole area, acted the second he saw Wapol aiming his cannon and the next thing anyone knew; the ex-king was blown back by a powerful gale.

''Your majesty!''

Chopper reacted in time to recover in mid-air and landed safely, turning to the wizard he spoke ''They're right, people of this sort will never listen. If you want him gone, you have to make sure it happens.''

''I...''

Wapol growled and fired another cannonball, but this one was stopped by Luffy, who used his Gum Gum Balloon to deflect it.

''Hey, Big Mouth!'' The captain jumped near the flag. ''I'm going to keep this flag safe from you jerks no matter what! You guys definitely aren't real pirates! Real ones would know the meaning of a flag, you're just a bunch of fakes and cowards who don't risk their lives!''

''Don't make me laugh, Straw Hat! Theyre meaningless!'' Wapol sneered.

''If you think that, you're dumber than you look!''

Wapol looked outraged but the teen pressed on ''Flags aren't some joke!''

''The only joke is that I've let you live as long I have. Since you dare put that flag back after I knocked it down, I'm delievering the punchline now!'' He fired a fourth cannonball but Luffy stopped it once again.

''What?!''

''I don't know the story behind it either but I don't need to. A pirate flag is something you jerks have no right touching! A pirate flag is someone's pledge to risk their life! It's not something to mock! IT STANDS FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU JACKASSES WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND! It's never breaking, the skull is a symbol of faith!''

Everyone stared on, with the enemies in particular feeling the power behind Luffy's words, leaving them dumfbounded.

Luffy jumped down ''Hey reindeer, I'm going to kick these guys' butts for showing your friend's flag disrespect!''

''Hope you're not expecting me to just sit back and watch, Captain.'' Miguel stated. The teen grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

''We're gonna beat those guys up! You in?'' Luffy inquired.

Wapol spoke before he could answer ''If you like the flag so much I'll just destroy with it!'' he went on, aiming another cannonball but Miguel diverted away with his wind sword.

''Not happening!'' Chopper charged to attack him but his path was blocked by Dio, who he tackled down.

''Would you look at that? That little furball has more courage than a full grown man.'' Kureha smirked.

''I'm sorry, freak. But there is no way you're laying a paw on the king!'' Chessmarimo declared. ''Actually, looking closer at you, you're that yeti the villagers hated, right? They tried to kill you and chased you away.''

Luffy and Miguel were surprised while Sanji frowned, remembering the story as Chopper lowered his head then.

''You poor, pathetic little thing. It must have been so hard, being all alone. You're just a monster who everyone wanted to kill. Someone like you wanting to save this country is the stupidest thing I ever heard!'' Dio sneered.

''Shut up! Even if I don't have friends, I can still fight for something I believe in!'' Chopper retorted. ''As long as that flag flies, I will!''

''Who said you don't have any friends?'' Luffy demanded with a frown.

''Don't listen to that guy. You've got two right here.'' Miguel offered.

Both captain and quartermaster shared a look and grinned as Chopper stared at them in wonder.

''So we'll beat up the big mouth and that clone guy, can you beat him?'' Luffy asked, pointing at Chess.

A determined expression settled on Chopper's face ''Him? No problem!''

''That's the way.'' Miguel glanced at their opponents. ''Looks like we're set then.''

''Yeah!'' The two agreed.

* * *

Chessmarimo struck first ''You arrogant fools, I'll protect Wapol-sama!'' He targeted Chopper, who was able to dodge and evade all his moves with ease.

''Rumble.'' Chopper took out a yellow ball and ate it just as Chessmarimo used his sword to create a snow splitting wave. A second later, he shape shifted, his form becoming more lean and big, with stronger legs which he used to jump up high.

Chessmarimo sneered ''You're a zoan like Dalton then? It doesn't matter. You lot all have that three form limit, I know I can win!''

He aimed some flaming arrows and began firing them in rapid succession as Chopper hurried away to avoid them. Sanji's brow furrowed as he looked at Kureha ''Is this really okay?''

''Yeah, just watch. My little reindeer can more than hold his own.''

Chopper's form changed again ''Arm point!'' With his enhanced strength, he punched the ground, raising a mound of snow to stop the remaining arrows cold. Chessmarimo ran in to punch him but Chopper was ready.

''Guard point!''

His new form greatly enhanced his defense, thus letting him get off unscathed. Chessmarimo grunted ''Wait, but that makes four! But how?''

''Wouldn't you like to know?'' Kureha smirked. There was much more to her apprentice than meets the eye. Their enemies certainly were in for a shock if they thought Chopper just had four forms...

Shaking himself, Chessmarimo attacked again, swinging four hammers in tandem. Chopper quickly dodged, waiting for him to charge again before going to Arm point and striking his opponent with enough precision to disarm him. He took advantage of Chessmarimo's shock to change back to Brain Point and analyze him, this let him zero in on a weakness. When Chessmarimo attacked again, Chopper used his Arm point and sidestepped the enemy's sword before striking back, aiming at his jaw.

''Roseo Coronedo!''

Chessmarimo cried out in pain as the hooves his jaw hard, sending him crashing down. In seconds, he was out cold.

''About time you showed what you can really do.'' Kureha stated.

''That was great, Chopper.'' Miguel added.

''Pretty impressive, all right.'' Sanji agreed, making the reindeer grin bashfully at the two pirates.

''By the way, you two, what's wrong with your friend?''

Kureha's question made the three look at Luffy, who was staring at Chopper in awe, his eyes practically shining like stars as he cried out in excitement.

''Let's just say he finds Chopper amazing and leave it at that.'' Sanji said dryly.

Wapol scowled ''Aren't you bastards too relaxed over there?! We're not done yet!''

''...He really is like a cockroach. How did you deal with him for so long?'' Sanji asked Kureha.

''Sadly, we had no choice.'' She replied, sharing his annoyance.

The ex-king glowered at them ''Deal with them, Dio!''

''At once, your majesty!'' The man in question stepped up. ''Don't go getting a big head over one win, it won't change a thing.''

He looked the group over and thought fast, quickly deciding that Miguel was going to be the one most likely to impede him quickly, he singled the wizard out and attacked. In moments, he had many doubles of himself, all armed with weapons.

Much to his dismay, this attack was quickly halted when Miguel countered by using Meteor, knocking away the clones that got in his way while evading others. Dio growled and resorted to using his rifles, apparently having brought a large number of weapons which he kept on Wapol's ride earlier.

Miguel quickly avoided the bullets as he soared, however. He came to a stop soon but just as Dio thought he had him, the former raised an arm and a number of the man's weapons were surrounded in an aura of power that seemed to crush them quickly.

''Wow...he really is strong.'' Chopper muttered. He had initially been worried because of the man's clones but Miguel easily dismantled the issue without much trouble.

Wapol ground his teeth ''What're you doing?! Finish him off!''

''Of course!'' Dio had his clones aim the weapons and fire but Miguel merely used Telekinesis to send the bullets away. The man seized this chance to attack him close up with a large, two handed sword but Miguel met him head on and they clashed.

While it was apparent that he was used to many weapons, Dio seemed intent on throwing a little sneak attacks here and there. Like trying to aim little kicks here and there to trip Miguel up or use the snow to throw him off. Regardless, their fight continued and it was clear that Miguel wasn't about to stop here.

''How does he keep doing that stuff anyway?'' Luffy wondered as they watched Dio create more doubles.

''I think it might be the Double Double Fruit.'' Sanji suggested, recalling the Devil Fruit encyclopedia he had read carefully a while back. ''I don't remember much details but what he's doing now fits with what I heard in general.''

''Even if you know, it won't matter. Take this!'' Dio cried, charging again, only to be surprised when Miguel side stepped his move and stunned him with a blow of his scabbard and then launching a spinning sweep that knocked him off his feet and blew him away with a sudden wind and snow.

''Rising Gale!''

Dio cringed but managed to recover his wits quickly and have two of his doubles launch him back to the ground. He used the momentum he was gaining for another blow, raising his sword then, only for Miguel to knock the weapon away with Wind Burst.

Cursing, Dio reached for his belt, whipping out two daggers which he attacked with next. Like his comrades, he tried using the field of snow for a cover and tried nailing Miguel with some quick strikes via the throwing daggers he kept in store on his person.

Sanji glanced at the big bag the man had been carrying earlier, which he concluded had a bunch of those weapons before ''Man, this guy reminds of Krieg. Another walking armory...''

Since he kept moving as discreetly as he could, this would make sure his opponent would have trouble identifying his location. Dio picked up one of his rifles which happened to land nearby and fired a shot, which Miguel dodged before throwing the weapon itself next. Grabbing some of the knives he had laced with poison, the man smirked.

''It's time you learn your place, wizard punk!''

''Is that so?'' Miguel looked unfazed even when the weapon came at him. He raised his ice sword before stabbing it in the ground. A spell circle flashed, releasing a wave of frost and snow that swept over a portion of the area before him. Dio leapt out and the reason became clear when the effects of the technique became apparent on his shoulder and clothes.

''Wh-why you...'' He didn't have much time to do a thing as Miguel attacked with Tempest Arc next so he quickly stationed a few clones to take the hit for him. The man quickly picked up a couple of daggers and tossed them, feeling satisfied when they hit the mark.

''Try this!'' Dio created more clones than before, some gathering up the weapons he had around before they all charged, attacking in a frenzy.

Miguel activated Meteor and flew around to dodge. Kureha raised an eye, recalling how he fared earlier. It was clear that Dio was hoping to overwhelm the young man with numbers so the idea made sense. It was just that Miguel's flying seemed a little odd and erratic to her, was he getting tired?

Dio attacked once more when Miguel landed ''You really are an idiot, you should've just run when you had the chance.''

''Ark Shield!'' Miguel created the golden barrier from earlier to stop him in his tracks. Then he held up his hands in a position that was familiar to Luffy and Sanji, the latter immediately looking up. Kureha and Chopper did the same, their eyes widening at the sight of the magic circles in the sky.

''I get it, he was setting those up!''

Kureha blinked ''Well, I'll be damned...''

Dio recoiled when he saw what they did, but it was too late.

''Grand Chariot!''

The circles all released beams of magic that rained down, most striking Dio down then. Wapol was forced to dodge the ones that strayed close to him, eventually hiding behind his ride for shelter.

Luffy cheered ''All right, way to go!''

''That was cool!'' Chopper exclaimed.

Miguel smiled at the two before they all looked back as Wapol stomped a foot ''It's true after all...if you want something done, you have to do it yourself.''

''Oh? So you're finally going to try and do something? You sure looked tough while bossing those suck-ups.'' Sanji taunted.

''About time, you really are a coward.'' Luffy added.

Wapol growled ''I'll execute you all for this rebellion!''

''Just try it!'' Luffy retorted. ''I'll take you down!''

* * *

 _Well, let's stop here._

 _I hope this was good. Sorry, I meant to get this out sooner but things got busy and there's also the fact that I'm still trying to work out the trouble in the Alabsta arc. Anywho, I might as well cut in here and the next time will be the conclusion of the Drum Island arc. Till next time!_


	23. Chapter 23

Wapol glowered at his enemies, very disappointed at this turn of events. Given their former success, he had believed that taking the castle back wouldn't be a problem but look at this. His subordinates had completely failed...

''I guess it is true, if you want something done right, do it yourself.''

''Oh? So you're finally going to fight, your majesty?'' One would have to be blind, deaf and stupid not to pick up on the mockery in Sanji's tone.

Wapol ground his teeth ''You can talk big now but I'll make sure to execute you all!''

''Yeah? You and what army? Besides, you've got worse stuff than little old me to worry about.''

Almost as if to prove the cook's point, Luffy struck then, forcing the man back. Wapol could only try to defend or dodge against the rubber teen's quick attacks. Soon, he was forced to use his hands to block a punch to his stomach. But then he used his powers to make a cannon from his mouth, which he used to blast the snow, raising a large mound that blinded Luffy for a few moments.

He blinked ''What just...?'' The words died in his mouth as he realized Wapol was gone.

''Hey, don't just stand there! He's in the castle!'' Kureha informed.

''Wait, but that means Nami-san's in danger!'' Sanji exclaimed. Luffy scowled and immediately ran to the building behind them.

* * *

As it so happened, Wapol found the room where the navigator was resting. Since she had no idea what was going on, Nami was very confused but Wapol was angered again to see another person there. Deciding that he would deal with all the opposition by handling the girl first, the ex-king made to take her but Nami ran out of the room and thus began a chase.

''What the heck is that guy's deal?'' Nami wondered, glancing at Wapol's approaching figure. She had just been woken up by a lot of noise coming from outside but had no time to try and find out what was going before the ex-king found her.

Spotting a flight of stairs, Nami ran over and made to climb them. When Wapol caught up, he was about to grab her and she quickened her pace. Moments later, the girl had to grin as she realized that her fat attacker had gotten stuck where he was.

''Too bad!''

Wapol growled and then did something she never expected. He began eating himself!

Nami gaped at the sight, watching him continue until only his mouth was left. Seconds later, Wapol appeared near her, much taller and thinner.

''W-what the heck happened?!''

''Hmph, it's my devil fruit power. Are you scared yet? This is only a little of what I can do!'' Wapol bragged.

''...I really don't want to know what else you have in store then.'' She said, honestly disturbed by the sight.

''You won't have time to worry about...'' Just as he made to grab her, he was punched in the face by a newly arrived Luffy, who jumped in between Wapol and Nami.

The navigator perked up ''Luffy!''

''You okay?'' The rubber teen grinned when she nodded. ''Good.''

For a moment he wondered how Wapol wound up like that but he knew it wasn't time to ask. The ex-king recovered and created a cannon from his tongue again, Luffy grabbed Nami and jumped back just as he fired, allowing them to get off safely.

''Why you...'' Sanji snarled as he and the others caught up. ''You won't get away with endangering Nami-san!''

''You've got it backwards, none of you are getting away!'' The ex-king retorted, creating cannons from his arm then and firing once more, this time targeting Sanji's group. This was stopped cold by Miguel, who cast Ark Shield to nullify the blasts.

''For all your big talk, you're just a coward!'' Chopper snapped.

''Your fight's with me!'' Luffy snapped, aiming a kick at the enemy, who smirked and dodged it with ease.

He laughed ''I don't use this form but it's more powerful than my original form.'' His grin widened as he dodged a Pistol attack from Luffy. ''You see? Eat this!'' Creating a big cannon in his mouth, Wapol opened it to launch another blast but then Luffy grabbed the man's head and forcefully shut his mouth just before he got to fire the cannon.

Miguel's lips twitched. When did he even have the time to come up with that? ''Only you, Luffy...''

''Yeah, he's really something...'' Kureha trailed off.

For a few moments, it appeared as if steam was coming out of Wapol's ears as he cried out, his mouth now burnt because of the mishap. When Luffy drew close again, Wapol managed to gather enough strength to punch him but sense blunt attacks were useless against his opponent, Luffy quickly bounced back and unleashed a counterattack that sent the man to the floor.

Chopper looked on in awe at the teen again while Kureha cracked a smirk ''...You know, I might actually let the brat off for all the trouble he caused. Seeing Wapol get his comeuppance is pretty entertaining.''

Wapol pulled himself up, scowling ''Don't celebrate just yet. I'm far from finished! In fact, I will unleash the most powerful weapon in my armory!''

Luffy braced himself, seeing the man dig in his coat. But then, something strange happened.

Wapol's expression changed, looking unnerved as he realized something was wrong before alarm settled in. ''The key-my key is gone!''

Nami, deciding to get a little payback, waved the item she had taken from him when he tried to choke her back in the room. ''Oh, you mean this?'' Wapol froze and she smirked. ''You make for a really easy mark, you know.''

Miguel looked amused while Sanji laughed ''Good job!''

Wapol ground his teeth, knowing he'd been had. ''Since it's come to this...very well, its time for my trump card-the Royal Drum Crown 7 Shot Bilking cannon!''

Then, just as they assumed he would attack, Wapol surprised them by turning and running up the stairs nearby.

''What the heck...?''

Luffy hurried after him, with the others following suit. ''Get back here!''

* * *

When they found Wapol again, he was standing at the top level of the castle next to a large cannon. He grinned at the sight of the new arrivals ''Good, you're all here-I'll finish this now!''

The ex-king proceeded to use the cannon...but nothing happened.

Silence reigned as the fact sank in, Wapol stiffened. Assuming that the cannon may be be rusty or something, he tried to fire it again-but to no avail.

The ex-king began to sweat as he went for it again. However...

A third try, failure. Just then, a baby snow bird flew out of what the teen noticed was a nest made in the cannon.

''Oh, so that's why...'' Chopper realized, spotting the other two birds settled with in the old weapon along with a mass of twigs.

Luffy grinned ''Hehe, nice! They got a good use out of it!''

''Why you!'' Wapol growled. ''Stupid bird! What do you think you're doing getting in my way?! I'm the King of Drum!''

''...He's actually yelling at the bird?'' Nami wondered. Miguel nodded, looking just as unimpressed.

Sanji shared their sentiments ''What an idiot.''

''Silence, you peasants!'' Wapol snarled.

''You shut up, moron!'' Luffy retorted, running up to attack him again.

The man recoiled, seemingly understanding at last that he would not win. ''W-wait, you don't have to do this! I'll offer you a good position in my kingdom...'' He paled, seeing Luffy ignore him. ''...I'll make you a general! How about a vice-king?!''

''Save it, Gum Gum Blowgun!''

The powerful blow rammed the enemy, sending him flying out of the castle in moments. Luffy was left grinning in satisfaction ''That's the end of that.''

* * *

As per Kureha's instructions, they tied up Wapol's defeated minions and threw them in one of the castle's prison cells. While everyone was trying to decide where to go from there, Kureha happened to notice a group of people approaching the castle.

She recognized most of them as citizens from around the island, leading them was Dalton. The doctor saw three unfamiliar figures walking behind the man and looked at the Straw Hats, gesturing at Usopp, Vivi and Zoro as she asked. ''Are they your friends?''

''Yeah, hey guys!'' Luffy waved.

''Luffy! Did that fat jerk from the ship really come here?'' Usopp said.

He nodded ''But it's okay now, we took care of things!''

Dalton's eyes widened ''Wait, are you saying...Wapol was defeated?''

''Yup!''

''How did you know he was coming here?'' Nami wondered.

Usopp proceeded to explain how Dalton and a number of people from the towns confronted Wapol. The first had been willing and more than able to take the man on but his subordinates had gotten in the way. Since Dalton used to work with Wapol at one point, they were familiar with his abilities. However, the man handled himself well and he might have even won if the evil king had not aimed his attacks at the people soon. Dalton saved them by taking all the attacks, otherwise they might have died.

But even that didn't deter him. As he was patched up, the man was more determined than ever to deal with Wapol and thus they had gathered a group to come face them.

''Well, you don't have to worry. It's all over.'' Miguel stated.

Dalton bowed his head ''...Thank you all. This country can finally be reborn.''

Chopper had to agree with that statement. At first, he had just been shocked that Wapol was finally taken down but now he could only suppress a smile as he thought of how happy Hiriluk would have been at this turn of events.

While he came to like the pirates, he still couldn't deal with the people as of now and thus kept his distance. Still, Dalton's words had him him wondering _'Are you watching, Doctor? The island is free for good.'_

''Nami, are you all right now?'' Vivi asked.

''Sure am! Doctorine's medicine works wonders.''

The princess smiled while Zoro and Usopp looked relieved ''Thank goodness...''

''There's more to it than that, little girls.'' The two looked at Kureha as she walked over. ''She still need to rest for a few days to fully recover.''

''I don't have that kind of time!'' Nami said at once. ''We're on our way to help Vivi save her country. There's no way I'm staying back now!''

Kureha was clearly not backing down an inch and it became clear that she would force Nami to stay if it became necessary. This lead the girls to try and convince her to understand the situation.

While they were at it, Luffy soon noticed how Chopper was keeping his distance from everyone. ''Hey, reindeer! What're you doing over there? Come and meet our friends!''

Chopper stiffened as this brought attention to him. Usopp recoiled ''Th-that must be the monster we heard about!''

Nami groaned as she saw the reindeer flinch and hurry away, knowing that this was about the worst thing that could've been said now.

Mutters arose as people began to realize who Chopper was and it was clear that many of them were coming to a conclusion similar to Usopp's.

A fed up Luffy cried out ''Leave the reindeer alone!''

''He's nothing like what you say!'' Miguel frowned.

''Hold on, you two know that reindeer?'' Zoro clarified.

''He's our friend, and I was just about to get him to join us!''

Miguel looked at their captain ''Never mind that, Luffy, we have to find him.''

He nodded ''Let's go!''

* * *

Chopper stiffened at the sound of footsteps, relaxing somewhat when he realized it was just Luffy and Miguel.

''Hey, you didn't have to run off like that!'' The first pouted.

''B-but you heard them...'' Chopper returned meekly. ''...people won't understand...it's always like this. I've had this blue nose and because of it, my herd exiled me. And even when when I thought I could get along with humans they all say I'm a monster...You two are different...and really nice but...''

''But nothing!'' Luffy cut in. ''I want you to join my crew!''

''W-what?!'' Chopper's jaw dropped. ''What're you saying...I don't belong with you guys! I mean...just look at me! I didn't belong anywhere...I've got this blue nose and those powers.''

''Just so we're clear, that's not a deterrent, Chopper.'' Miguel stated, to his surprise. ''...If anything, it might be more of a reason for Luffy to want you along, right?''

''Yeah, I think he's really cool!'' The captain beamed.

The little reindeer's eyes widened, turning to Miguel as he bent to his level ''I'd say it'd be great to have you with us. I don't know who put you down like that but they were wrong. You're pretty talented and it'd be a shame not to see that dream of yours come true. You need to have the courage to make it happen.''

''I...but I...'' He stuttered.

''Oh, what's your dream?'' Luffy asked with interest.

''Chopper is Doctorine's apprentice.. He wants to be the miracle cure to any disease.'' Miguel returned when Chopper didn't respond.

''Wow, so he's a doctor?! Awesome, you have to join us!''

Chopper blinked ''Wait, you didn't know I was a doctor and you wanted me to join you?''

''Yup, you're cool!''

''Do you...mean that?''

Luffy nodded, just then the three were found by Dalton, whose eyes widened when he saw Chopper.

''...It really was you...'' He breathed, having first seen the reindeer back after Hiriluk's death, recognizing him as the man's 'son' because of the doctor's words.

Chopper likewise remembered him on the same day as Dalton had been the one who stopped him from attacking Wapol in his rage at what the evil king caused.

''Those pirates said you fought against Wapol and his men too...'' He went on, lowering his head. ''...despite the horrible treatment you received from everyone, you tried to help, you didn't give up...thank you.''

Chopper stared at him, dumbfounded at this turnout. Sure, he'd fought to do the right thing and protect Doctorine and the castle where his father's grave was but he never expected anyone to say something like this...

Luffy and Miguel looked between the two, curious as they could sense that this exchange had a meaning they weren't aware of. The latter wanted to ask but he didn't think it was a good time. He was at least glad to see that there were someone else who knew that there was more to Chopper than meets the eye.

He turned to the reindeer again ''For what it's worth, I think this is a chance everyone on this island gets at a fresh start. Naturally including you too. You'd be welcome to join us, Nami and Sanji are probably explaining things to the others now. But you need to make that choice. Forget anything else right now, what do _you_ want, Chopper?''

The reindeer stared at him in wonder for a moment before he began to mull this over...

* * *

Later, the group was preparing to leave and return to the ship. Luffy sat down on the sleigh they were going to use with a sulking expression since Chopper had yet to give them an answer.

''Miguel, why didn't you try harder to convince the reindeer to come?''

The quartermaster sighed ''He has to make the choice on his own, you know that.''

Nami smiled to herself, thinking that while Miguel didn't know the whole story and thus just how much all he did meant to Chopper, he had reached the crux of the matter. Luckily, they had managed to convince Kureha to let them leave without any trouble and while they were almost done, the matter of Chopper remained.

She liked the little reindeer but quite agreed with the wizard that there was no forcing this matter. Chopper had to make the decision on his own and whether Luffy showed it or not now, they would all respect that choice, whatever it was.

As it so happened, they wouldn't have to wait long to find out...

Chopper had his answer ready but he knew he could never bring himself to leave without saying goodbye to Kureha. Thus, he approached her in her office.

''Doctorine...''

She turned slightly ''There you are. We've got work-you need to...''

''I...I want to leave with the Straw Hats. I'm going out to sea!'' Chopper cut her off.

Kureha scoffed ''Don't be absurd. A reindeer becoming a pirate? I need your help with Dalton. You wouldn't in their travels.''

''You're wrong!'' He retorted. ''I've made my choice. This is what I want to do-I'll see to it that Doctor Hiriluk's dream become real. I'll be the miracle cure!''

''You sure talk big but what do you think you can do with those brats?''

Chopper made to respond only to be startled when she got up abruptly and the next thing he knew, his mentor had grabbed some of her scalpels. The reindeer blanched as she leveled them at him and began to run just as she threw them...

* * *

Zoro raised an eye as he glanced at the castle ''Sure is noisy back there...''

Usopp looked curious ''What's going on?''

In seconds, Chopper came running ''Hey, let's get ready to leave!''

Luffy perked up ''You're coming?!''

''Never mind that, go!'' He pushed the sleigh and everyone quickly got on it. While confused at his behavior, things suddenly made sense when a few weapons almost hit the area where Chopper was.

''What the-?!'' They looked back to find Kureha standing at the entrance, holding more weapons which she threw at her student.

Sanji looked alarmed ''What the heck...?'' He had to duck as one of the weapons almost hit him. ''That's why you were running?!''

Chopper nodded ''I told her and...she got really mad...''

Little did he realize that there was more to it.

To think that not only was their home free at last, her own apprentice and the son of one of her old patients had been instrumental in it all. Kureha supposed it was true that you never knew what life would bring...

''Hm, since you're all here...you're going to help me.'' She said at last.

Dalton blinked ''With what?''

She cracked a smirk ''A little set up to kick start this country's rebirth.''

* * *

Vivi looked at Chopper as they both mounted the Merry Go. ''...Are you okay with this?''

The reindeer sighed as the ship began to sail ''No, but it can't be helped...I don't regret my decision. I just don't know why Doctorine got so mad.''

Usopp walked over ''Yeah, that was weird...''

''I don't know, it sounds like the crazy hag to me.'' Sanji stated.

''You think so? She didn't have to handle it like that, did she...?'' Usopp looked at Chopper. ''Ah...erm, sorry for before...''

''It's okay.'' The reindeer didn't mind, after all, they had accepted him into the crew just like Luffy and Miguel said.

In moments, they caught sight of a few glowing missiles flying around the mountain. They burst, merging with the snow and turning pink. It almost looked like there was a sakura tree in the air, showering the entire island with petals. Needless to say, it made for an amazing sight.

''Wow...'' Nami uttered.

''Now that's one impressive sight.''

''It's beautiful...'' Vivi began to smile.

''Yeah, amazing.'' Miguel agreed.

The sight reminded Chopper of a story Hiriluk told him, how a thief was healed by the sight of the blossoms and it was what inspired him to become a doctor...and he suddenly recalled the vials his father had been working on before his death.

The reindeer began to tear up, since there was only one person who would know about them beside him...and similarly they were the only ones who knew another significance of this sight. It had to be Kureha..did she really set all this up for him?

 _'Doctorine...thank you...thank you so much for everything.'_ He thought.

* * *

At the same time...

Dalton looked at Kureha ''...Is this really all right?''

''...Yes, it's my kind of send off after all.'' She grinned.

His lips twitched ''I see.''

While like the others, he had been alarmed at the earlier chase, he could now see that Kureha just had her own way of doing things. He knew exactly who the send off was for after all.

A man approached the two ''Hey, Dalton, it turns out that kid was the pirate we were told about. Look!''

Dalton raised an eye at the paper he held up ''So his full name's Monkey D. Luffy...''

''D, huh?'' Kureha looked over. ''I wonder if he's anything like Gol D. Roger.''

''? Wait, you mean Gold Roger?''

''Is that what they call him these days?'' Kureha looked at the other man. ''Anyway, what did you mean? Who told you about the straw hat brat?''

''Oh, I completely forgot...someone passed the island a few days ago and asked me a and a friend that if we saw him, he'd be in Alabasta soon.''

''That shouldn't be a problem.'' Dalton stated, looking back at the sea. Given the presence of a certain individual with their group, he knew for sure. ''...That's where they're going after all.''

* * *

Chopper was thrilled as the crew fired up a party to welcome him. He hadn't realized just how right Luffy and Miguel were, it felt like he could really fit in here.

When the intial awkwardness was over, he could tell that the rest of their friends were also kind and unique in their own way. Sanji and Zoro had been really friendly, Usopp had taken to showing him a few games and Vivi treated him like a new friend already!

''Seems like you're quite a hit.'' Zoro remarked with a smirk, making the reindeer laugh happily.

"Wait, you didn't know Chopper was a doctor till Miguel told you and you wanted him to join that badly? Why?" Nami wanted to know.

"You heard what the old lady said before, he's a seven point transforming reindeer." Luffy returned as if it was completely obvious.

She rolled her eyes "Of course, silly me."

Things took a turn for the strange when they found a shivering Carue trying to find a warm place. That along with lingering ice on the duck's bag and the trail of ice they found on the ship told them that the duck had likely jumped into the sea.

Vivi went on to wrap her pet with a few blankets while Miguel used his wind sword to conjure some warm winds, looking puzzled ''Why would he even do that?''

''That's what I want to know.'' The princess frowned. ''Honestly, Carue, you know better than to do something so ridiculous as dive in the water.''

The duck looked offended as he quacked before pointing at Zoro and letting out more quacks.

Chopper blinked ''Carue says he really wasn't thinking but he was wondering why Zoro went for a swim in the water.''

''You what?'' Usopp blurted. ''That's why you were freezing when you showed up?!''

Zoro was about to retort but he noted something ''Wait, so you can actually translate what the duck's saying?''

''Well yeah, it's easy.'' The doctor returned.

''That's amazing.'' He stated only for the reindeer to blush and snap that he didn't need praise so he should stop. The swordsman raised an eye as it obviously looked like he was pleased. Vivi giggled at the sight while Usopp and Sanji chuckled.

Nami shook her head as they watched Luffy and Usopp get in a thumb war over a few rice crackers ''Sorry to break it to you but your new family is pretty crazy.''

Chopper's eyes widened at the word family but he then giggled, deciding that his hopes may actually come true and he would belong here.

Miguel smiled ''So, are you happy with this choice?''

He beamed ''You bet!''

* * *

 _Aaand we're done._

 _Hah, I never intended for this chapter to take so long but I've been busy. I really wanted to make some progress in wrapping up the Alabasta Arc and thankfully, I'm more or less half way through it. I never thought it would give me so much trouble..._

 _Anyway, I hope you like the chapter and thanks for reading. Till next time!_


	24. Chapter 24

_Condescenion: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story. I guess Miguel's fear would be a little odd if you don't know the story but it's because of that battle I mentioned. He was stuck in the worst of it and his phobia is a result of the trauma he suffered back then. now fire reminds him of that nightmare. Actually, this is mentioned in the chapter and I'm going to expand on it pretty soon._

 _Yeah, I thought about it a bunch and I already made up my mind a while back. The Elysia Arc is going to be right after Water 7, that's about the best time for it._

* * *

Chopper couldn't make sense of what was going on.

He was delighted to know that his fears about joining the crew were unfounded since they had all accepted him. Heck, they had gotten on brilliantly since. He really felt like he would fit in great just like Luffy and Miguel assured him.

That wasn't the problem. The problem actually happened a few minutes ago. Chopper had just been hanging out with Luffy when before he quite knew it, the two were surprised by a big bird who swallowed the rubber teen.

Shocked and scared, Chopper ran to find help only to come across Zoro, Sanji and Usopp, who were playing cards and explained what happened. What left the doctor appalled was how dismissive they were of the situation. They thought so lightly of something like that. He didn't understand, weren't they friends? They should be looking to help Luffy too!

The reindeer stopped in his tracks when he fortunately found someone else.

''Miguel, help! Luffy got eaten by that big bird!'' Chopper pointed at the avian soaring above the ship. ''I tried to tell the others but they all just said that he'll be fine.''

Miguel's response threw him for a loop ''Well...that's actually true. Give it a minute.''

That was proven correct rather quickly as they could see a pair of arms stretching out around the bird and twisting it around until it was too dizzy to fly. Then, the stunned bird was thrown onto the ship with enough force to knock it out.

Chopper's jaw dropped as Luffy came out with a scratch on him while Miguel half-smiled. ''That's record timing for you getting out of trouble, Captain.''

Luffy grinned back ''You think we can have this for lunch?''

''I don't see why not but you should check with Sanji first.''

''Yeah!'' He took off.

''See?'' Miguel smiled at Chopper. ''It might have sounded cold but they just trust that he's tough enough to take care of things.''

''I get it...that was cool!'' He beamed.

* * *

As it turned out, Sanji thought the bird would make for an excellent ingredient and so he had no problems using it for their lunch.

''Man, I'm stuffed!'' Usopp grinned.

One person was unfortunately not so satisfied ''Man...Sanji's a great cook but he's so stingy!'' Luffy grumbled. ''I don't want to wait until lunch to eat but he made sure the fridge was blocked...''

''That's because you don't even know what self-restraint means, we'd be starving if we left this matter to you!'' Sanji snapped.

Luffy had an idea ''Miguel...''

''Luffy, we're been through this. I'm not taking the shield down.'' He said, exasperation clear in his tone. ''Also, before you ask, I don't know what the code to the refrigerator's lock is seeing as I don't need to. And I wouldn't tell you even if I did.''

''Aw, come on...'' He sulked.

''Shut up!'' Sanji barked.

''Luffy, you just ate.'' Nami said irritably.

''He's got a black hole for a stomach, remember?'' Zoro said dryly, leaving her to nod with a sigh of annoyance.

Sanji was thankful that Miguel had been so good about helping him, otherwise their supplies may have taken quite a hit. As it were, they were doing well on that front. ''Look, if you're just going to keep whining then get fishing! I don't have a problem cooking what you might find but I am not using the supplies meant for the crew just because you're greedy.''

''Okay!'' Luffy exclaimed. ''Usopp, where'd you leave the fishing rods last time?''

* * *

''Gotta like that enthusiasm, Captain. Even if you're a horrible fisherman.'' Usopp smirked.

''I am not!''

''Oh? I'm sorry, when was the last time you actually caught any fish?'' The sniper looked smug at the lack of response. ''That's what I thought.'' He turned to Chopper, who had joined them to try to learn fishing. ''Just watch, Chopper. I'll show you all you need.''

The reindeer nodded with a smile. Both started as Usopp's rod tugged forward and the sniper stood ''There we go!'' He heaved with all his might, revealing that he had hooked about Chopper's size.

''Wow, Usopp, that's cool!''

The teen grinned back ''Right? I know my stuff, just leave it all to Captain Usopp!''

* * *

Around the same time, Nami and Vivi were talking nearby, with the latter telling the former about some of the things she had learned since she left Alabasta...

''Wow...so wait, the only reason wizards have a bad reputation in the Blue seas...'' Nami started.

''...is mostly because of a lack of information.'' Vivi affirmed. ''The people there are detached, they don't understand what went down in Elysia or the consequences beneath it. Learning what really went down and seeing what the war caused really hit the marines' reputation hard, a lot of people agree that they went too far. The Elysians already proved that they just wanted to live freely and even then the government treats them horribly. If anything, the marines' reputation took a terrible hit afterwards. And for good reasons. I've seen the aftermath of the battle Miguel told us about, the one that caused his phobia-it was horrible. At least a quarter of the Elysia archipelago was ruined and the numbers...Let's just say after learning he was in that disaster, having scars makes all too much sense.''

The navigator held back a wince, thinking her tone told volumes. Miguel had also let slip that the battle had claimed people he was close to and Vivi's words put the situation into a whole new perspective.

Yeah, their friend's phobia made plenty of sense. She wouldn't be surprised in fact if the root of the problem was that fire reminded him of all the death and destruction he had seen back then.

When Vivi made to go below deck with Carue, she noticed Miguel nearby, holding a shimmering lacrima in one hand. He placed it down and the item gave a strong glow, before what she recognized as runes appeared around them. They seemingly melded with the ship in moments, giving off a faint light which quickly disappeared.

''What was that?'' She inquired.

''I thought we could use a little help for Merry so one of my friends made runes to reinforce her.'' Miguel admitted.

The princess began to smile ''That's some good thinking, sailing those seas could be rough on some ships.''

After she went down, Miguel heard someone cheer ''All right!''

Curious, he went to the source to find Chopper reeling in his rod after transforming and placing the fish he had caught on the pile with Usopp's, who was grinning.

''Way to go, Chopper!''

The little reindeer beamed ''I just did what you said. Miguel, look what I got!''

The latter smiled ''I saw the whole thing, nice work.''

''We definitely got a good haul.'' Usopp remarked, glancing at the box where the fish currently were.

Luffy's muffled groan made the three look at him, Miguel raised an eye as he turned to Usopp ''...Same as usual?''

He snickered ''Same as usual.'' At Chopper's puzzled look, he explained. ''Luffy _never_ caught any fish when we tried before, I wasn't kidding about his horrible luck. I told him to let me give some advice but he just turns me down every time.''

''Oi, I can...!'' Luffy paused as he felt his rod's tug. He grinned ''Here we go!''

''No way...!'' Usopp stared.

''Oh yes way, told you I can do it!''

''Shouldn't you focus on the rod?'' Chopper frowned.

''Yeah, save the gloating session for when you pull this off.'' Miguel added.

''Relax, I got it!'' Luffy heaved then, pulling his catch out of the water.

The four couldn't help but stop and stare. Why? The rubber teen's catch turned out to be a man.

* * *

Nami, who had come over in the middle of the commotion, found herself just as stumped. The man was dressed in a mostly white outfit and odd looking shoes. Despite being soaked and clearly tired, he seemed more worried about his make-up.

Actually, she didn't remember seeing a man wear that much make up ever. It was too much even for her...

''Look, who cares about your make-up right now?'' An exasperated Usopp cut in on the man's growing rant as he fumbled for supplies which he had apparently lost. Chopper figured that the man could use something warm so he went to talk to Sanji.

''What's with him?'' Zoro asked Nami.

''I wish I knew...''

Miguel handed the man a soaked cloth which he took with a thanks and wiped his face before taking the towel that was offered next. The man reminded him of a couple of stories he heard back in Elysia, of a country where men dressed up and wore make up like women. He couldn't remember the place's name at the moment but he had to admit the man was like what was described in the stories.

''Much better...'' The newcomer sighed in relief.

''That's good, afraid the make-up front is out of hand though.'' Miguel stated, bemused.

''Regardless, thank you. It's been a long time since I've had this much of a nice reception.'' The man smiled. Usopp silently marveled at Miguel's calm temperament. Sometimes it really looked nothing fazed the quartermaster.

''So how'd you wind up there?'' Luffy asked.

''We hit a rough patch a short while ago. Before I knew it, I'd fallen off our ship...'' The man trailed off, noticing Chopper come back with a steaming mug of tea, which he happily took when offered. ''...this is perfect, thanks!''

He stood after finishing the tea ''I must do something to repay this...oh, I know!''

Then, before anyone knew it, he reached out and smacked Luffy on the head, making him fall. Zoro scowled ''What're you doing?!''

Luffy pulled himself up ''What was that for?!''

The teen froze when instead of the man's face, there was one that was a mirror of his own. ''WHAT?!''

The second Luffy grinned and reached out to the others, who all tried to get away, thinking he was going to hit them too. But only Zoro and Miguel were successful. ''My name is Bon Clay. I ate the Clone Clone Fruit, which lets me transform into people who I touch. I might have gone overboard a little at first but that's why-here, look!'' He tapped the side of his face, transforming into an exact look-alike of Nami. ''And it's not just their faces either, see?'' He pushed his shirt down, revealing that he could even copy their bodies perfectly as his figure was just like Nami's now.

''Stop that!'' The girl in question snapped, embarrassed and angry upon noticing how Usopp and Luffy were staring. She quickly punched the two hard, noting with a little relief that Miguel had covered his eyes once he realized what was going on.

''That's so cool!'' Luffy enthused, jumping right back up.

''Can you do it again?'' Chopper asked, just as eager.

''Sure!'' Bon Clay grinned, transforming into Usopp for a second before turning back to himself and then to Chopper, even shrinking just like the reindeer does in Brain Point. It was as if they were staring at a reflection.

''Amazing!''

''How many faces can you do?'' Usopp asked with interest.

''Oh, loads!'' He said proudly.

Vivi happened to come closer at all the commotion, just as Bon Clay was showing them the transformations he had gathered over time. One of them made her blood run cold as she immediately recognized the person.

Wait, she frowned as she made sure to remain hidden and observed him. His antics made her think, he sounded like...

''Hey, you said your ship was nearby when you fell-is that it?'' asked Usopp, pointing at the approaching vessel.

Bon Clay perked up ''Oh, yes!''

''Boss!'' Several voices cried out.

''I'm here, I knew you'd come!'' He ran to the side as one of the men came with a small boat to get him. He grinned at the Strawhats before leaving ''Thanks for everything!''

''Come on, Mr. 2, we have to keep going!''

''Right, right!''

Zoro stiffened ''Did that guy just say...?''

''He's Mr. 2?!'' Usopp cried.

''He's one of them? But he was so nice!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''...It's the truth.'' The three turned to look at Vivi as she walked over. ''I may not have met some of the higher ranked agents but I did get as much information as possible. Mr. 2 was said to be a flamboyant man who is fond of make up and he is particularly famous for his excellent ability in disguise. After seeing that...''

Nami bit her lip ''Yeah, with that fruit, it'd be perfect.''

''That's not all.'' Vivi grimaced. ''I recognized one of the faces he could use. It was my father's.''

Zoro's eyes narrowed ''If he can impersonate a king that then could cause a whole lot of trouble.''

''And he can copy us now too!'' Chopper reminded. ''What do we do against that?''

As everyone thought this over, Miguel looked down, knowing that this may have actually been a good thing. The man likely didn't know about them. While they were caught off guard, at least they could get ready to face him. But speaking on the subject of preparation...

* * *

Everyone was surprised when Miguel asked them to get together a short while before dinner but they all came up to meet him on deck.

''So what's this about?'' Sanji asked. He had been brought up to speed by Chopper and knew they needed to be more careful.

''I think we need to talk about...everything.'' Miguel said after a moment. ''Vivi, are you sure about this plan? I think we need to have some sort of contingency just in case.''

''I think it'll be fine.'' Vivi returned. ''Kohza's a good friend of mine, I know he'll listen.''

''It's not that simple though, is it?'' Zoro could see what he as getting at, and judging by the look on his face, so did Luffy.

''I've been thinking about this for a while. What happened before just made more sure than before, we can't keep going like this. There has to be more we can do. You saw how perfect Mr.2's transformations were and going by the rising tensions, it's almost certain Crocodile could use that to his advantage.''

Chopper tried to think, a way that Crocodile could use those quickly came to mind.''Wait, if he had the king's face and they could use that...then if they found someone connected to the rebel army-!''

''Exactly.'' Miguel was relieved that they were catching on to his line of thought. ''Vivi's friend might be willing to believe us and that would help, but things have been going on for this long...all the unrest and trouble must be really getting to everyone. That kind of building up tension leads to anger...and angry people make stupid mistakes.''

''You...almost sound like you're talking out of experience.'' Sanji remarked.

''It's just...what we heard so far made me wonder...Remember that battle I told you guys about? The reason behind my phobia?'' Miguel saw them nod and went on. ''Things were really bad back then, everyone was so fed up and furious, they wanted to take it to the marines. It took a lot to convince them to back down and even then it didn't work, not fully...eventually things calmed down because no one wanted to lose anyone else.''

Ah. Put like that, the cook could see his point. The rebels sounded awfully similar to this. It was easy to understand that he was hoping to avoid a similar scenario in Alabasta.

''Kohza might be the leader but he can't speak for everyone. You have no idea what it was like back then, I really hope the rebels aren't that bad off but we still need to be flexible.'' Miguel stated.

Usopp bit his lip ''That...makes a lot of sense. Sorry, Vivi, I'm with Miguel on this. It kinda feels like we're just rushing in and hoping for the best.''

''I hate to admit, but maybe...and going by what Crocodile's partner was going on about, they must know we're coming here.'' Nami frowned. ''I can't see them not doing anything to stop us. Crocodile's too clever to leave things up in the air like that.''

''So we need to be ready to fight, right? We can do it!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''D-do you really think it'd come to that?'' Vivi wanted to know.

Sanji felt bad for disappointing her but he could see that Miguel really had the right idea. If anyone here would know what it was like dealing with war and its consequences, it would be him. ''Sad to say, Vivi-chan, that might be our best course of action. We should have planned earlier actually. Going by those newspapers, it's hard to say that just talking would work. Baroque Works already got in our way before, I think they're definitely going to try again.''

''I know you don't like fighting Vivi and that's okay, not many would.'' Miguel said gently. ''It's just that we need to be ready, if they're willing to go that far than we have to do the same to make a difference.''

''Yeah! We said we'd help, remember? Don't do everything on your own.'' Luffy added, Chopper nodded to this.

''Even if you are the princess, that doesn't mean you can't have some good old support there for you. That'd be us.'' Nami winked.

''This is the point where your resolve would truly come to the test, you're determined to protect your country. Don't let anything hold you back.'' Zoro advised.

''I...'' Vivi closed her eyes for a moment. ''...you're right. We've come this far, I won't let anything mess it up. How do we go about this?''

''First things first, we're going to need information. About Alabasta, and what you came to learn about Baroque Works. Then we'll decide how to go about things from there.'' Miguel returned.

* * *

Later on, the crew would agree that the meeting was an excellent call. They all felt better after talking things through for one thing. For another, it cemented their plans for their next destination and in good time as they were closing in on the desert kingdom.

First, they decided to find information. Not just about the rebels but about the state of things in the country as a whole. If too much questions were raised, they agreed to act lke a shipwrecked crew of travelers. While Luffy's wanted poster could cause problems, meeting Bon Clay had given Nami an idea so she suggested using a little make up to change Luffy's features, hiding his scar for instance. Since they couldn't convince the teen to part with his hat even if for a short while, she also had the idea to obscure it with a painted cloth that would cover it whole. Their talk had also gotten Nami thinking on another front, so she approached Usopp for help to get her a weapon when the time came to confront Baroque Works. While they were about as eager for a fight as Vivi, they knew it was coming and would be ready. The girl, who had become an important friend to them, worked so hard for her home and they wanted to help her.

Vivi had heard that Mr. 2 was a fighter who relied mainly on a style that revolved around kicking. Miss All Sunday had been one of the few that the princess couldn't find much information about, leaving them all the more wary of her. But the crew came to agree that all they could do was brace themselves for the worst. The princess did tell them how Mr. 1 was said to be a swordsman who had defeated many other blade wielders in the past. While she didn't know much about it, he had a devil fruit that made his abilities that much more formidable, this left Zoro all the more interested in fighting him.

His partner, Miss Doublefinger was a strong, if cocky assassin and while there wasn't much information about her at first, Vivi eventually managed to learn that she had eaten the Spike Spike fruit, which lets her grow spikes from her body. Mr. 4 was mentally slow but strong and his partner Miss Merry Christmas had eaten the Mole Mole fruit and was adept at using her abilities.

Currently, the three biggest problems were looking to be Miss All Sunday, Bon Clay and of course, Crocodile.

Crocodile would be right in his element, having eaten the logia Suna Suna fruit. He couldn't be more powerful than in the desert. Being a Warlord made him that much more of a bigger threat, all Vivi knew of him proved that he deserved his reputation. They had deliberated what kind of weakness such a man would have and Miguel had a very good guess. He gave the group some lacrima he had stored, all filled with water. All they had to do was throw them and the water would flow out. Since water hardened sand, they knew it would be good idea and thus promised not to use the lacrima unless absolutely necessary.

As for Bon Clay...

''I've been thinking...'' Zoro said suddenly. ''...there's a way we can use to deal with that okama too.''

The swordsman's suggestion turned out to be for them all to mark their wrists and hide them carefully. This way, only they would know about the identical black x marks they all bore and could definitely find out if it so happened that the man tried to trick them.

''That's clever!'' Chopper smiled.

''Yeah, almost too much so...''

This made him blink and looked at Sanji, puzzled at the wording. But the cook was giving Zoro a scrutinizing look ''...are we sure he isn't an imposter? This isn't like him.''

''Good question...since when does Zoro think things through like that?'' Usopp wondered.

''What the hell is that supposed to mean?!'' The swordsman retorted, making him recoil while Sanji chuckled.

''Oh, that's him...''

''That was uncalled for, it's a good idea.'' Vivi chided lightly.

''Yeah!'' Luffy glanced at the mark and smiled. He held up his marked arm, with the rest soon following suit. ''This can be a mark of our bond! We've come this far so we won't let Baroque Works stop us. Let's do this!''

''YEAH!''

Vivi's heart swelled, she had never imagined things would have worked out so well. And yet they had, she came across this wonderful group of people, who were giving it their all to help her. Words couldn't express her gratitude for their continuing support, with them at her side, she felt ready.

Yes, they would get Alabasta back for sure.

* * *

They reached land at the port town of Nanohana. As agreed earlier, they would split into three groups. The first group, Miguel and the girls would look into restocking their supplies. When Sanji tried to protest this placement (since of course, he wanted to be with them instead), Nami and Zoro had admitted their suspicions that he wouldn't even be focused on the job and more on the girls so he was better off going with Chopper to find them clothes appropriate for the desert. Of course, he wasn't about to argue against Nami so he had to concede.

The third group would be Luffy, Zoro and Usopp, who were to look into getting information along with the first group.

''Come on, let's go!'' Luffy exclaimed, only to be forced back when Nami pulled his ear. ''Ow!''

''For the last time, we have to be careful! Anyway, we'll split up and meet at the town's exit later, okay?''

Everyone nodded and they made to head off. Miguel paused ''Oh, right...Chopper, hang on a sec.''

The little doctor stared at the pale blue translucent object which he held up then ''I think I read about this. That's an ice crystal, right?'' Miguel nodded. Chopper remembered seeing a few around Drum. Ice crystals tended to form with high concentration of magic and cold climates, they tended to be very cold to the touch but they were very resilient, melted over a long period of time and made for excellent coolers if used right.

Miguel wrapped the crystal with a cloth before tapping it with his ice sword, willing his magic forth and leaving it to give a faint glow before handing it over to Chopper. ''I was thinking you'd have it the worst out of us all. It's kind of a last minute idea but this should help.''

Chopper perked up, it was true, being here was already hitting him hard. The crystal already made him feel better, it was so nice of Miguel to think of him now. He put it in his bag, beaming. ''It's brilliant, thanks a lot!''

''Sure thing, let's not keep our friends waiting now, okay?''

''Okay!''

* * *

 _All right, I'll have to stop here._

 _I hope this was good, I know it was short but I do need to get this part out of the way. I honestly think things could have gone better in Alabasta if they had more of a plan so I wanted to try something like this out. This is just to start their entry into the desert kingdom out, I'll get into details starting next chapter._

 _I should be able to finish the next chapter (which will be bigger) since I'm almost done with this arc, there's just a couple of issues that are getting in my way now. This is especially annoying seeing as I got ideas for some arcs in the future while I was planning things out but this one sure gave me trouble. Progress is progress, I guess._

 _Well anyway, thanks for reading. Working with this story really turned out to be fun so I hope you enjoy it, till next time!_


	25. Chapter 25

_Guest: Well, the answer to that is in this chapter._

 _Flame Wolfe: Thanks, I'm really glad you like the story._

* * *

The search started out well enough and Nami's group had been able to learn quite a bit. Like more about the situation in Alabasta, about how Crocodile became something of a hero for the people and even about the rebels. When questioned why they were asking, they gave the story they agreed on before (they found it necessary since if people found out about Vivi now, it would really complicate things) on how their ship crashed here and they would be forced to stay for the time being and it seemed to work just fine.

The girls learned that the rebels were now gathering and preparing their final plans. While the merchants they had spoken to were confident in the army, the situation wasn't looking good. The two quickly realized that Miguel's concerns about their plans were very well-founded as it turned out that the rebels were said to be leaving Yuba and moving closer towards the capital, some thought they would stop at Katorea but they couldn't be sure. This was something they would have likely missed had he not started that strategy meeting.

''So that's it...'' Miguel trailed off when Vivi brought him up to speed.

Nami's brow furrowed ''What do we do? You think we should wait for them in Katorea?''

''I'm not sure we can take the risk.'' The princess admitted. ''It's not even a certainty that the rebels would actually come there. There's many paths throughout the desert and while they couldn't make it all the way to Alubarna in one go, that doesn't mean they can't find another place to stop and rest. I want to head them off but I have no idea how.''

''Actually...'' The two looked at Miguel. ''...I know a spell that can at least show us their general direction. I've never used it for such a wide range so I can't be sure but I think it can help point us in the right direction. For now though, let's just finish up here and meet up with the others. It works best in open areas anyway.''

Nami and Vivi nodded and followed his lead, deciding that it would be a good way to start them off.

* * *

Zoro's group were going about a different part of town, while things seemed to be in order, trouble started when Luffy spotted a restaurant and took off.

''Dammit! Come on, we better go after him!'' Zoro told Usopp, making a note to hit Luffy for this later.

''Hold on...''

''What?'' He looked at the sniper in surprise but Usopp subtly pointed to their left, where a young man with black hair stood with his back to them. He wore an orange hat, black shorts with a buckle and brown shoes. While the fact that he was shirtless earned him a bit of attention from people passing by, mostly because of the weather, it was the tattoo on his back that made Usopp stop in his tracks.

A big purple skull and cross bones, though the skull looked a bit more like a face with a long white mustache. Zoro's eyes widened as he recognized it too, for the mark was that of an infamous figure. Also, it didn't take him long to spot the familiar wanted poster he was holding and talking to one of the vendors about.

The two could only wonder, what on earth was a Whitebeard pirate doing here? And why would someone like that be asking about Luffy?

* * *

Luffy happily started eating the minute he arrived in the restaurant. He was completely ignorant of everything about him, the food having all his attention as usual. Thus, he didn't see the strange looks his eating habits earned or how Smoker and Tashigi entered the restaurant too.

But both marines quickly saw him.

''What're you doing here?!'' Luffy soon spluttered upon noticing them, practically drenching Smoker in the water he'd been drinking before taking off. He thought they left the guy back in Logue Town, why was he here?

The now irate captain immediately went after him, both rushing through the busy streets and avoiding any passerby. Usopp and Zoro caught up in time to see them get to one of Nanohana's exits, both were momentarily thrown for a loop at the sight of Smoker.

''That guy again? Why the hell is here?!'' Zoro scowled. This was really bad, they couldn't hit him last time because of his logia devil fruit powers. Hell, the only one who had a chance in fighting him on even ground was Miguel.

''I've got you now, Straw Hat!''

Smoker's charge was forcefully halted just then when his path was obstructed by a wall of fire. A moment later, they could all see the Whitebeard pirate standing in front of Luffy.

Smoker's eyes widened ''You're...!''

The man smirked back before waving his hand, a wave of fire rose a second later forcing the marine to create some smoke to defend himself.

Usopp stared ''He's helping us?''

What happened next left both him, Zoro and Smoker rather surprised.

Luffy perked up, grinning brightly ''Ace!''

The new arrival glanced at him ''Hey there, Luffy. I see you're still a trouble magnet.''

* * *

Smoker's brow furrowed in confusion, they knew each other?

But he quickly shook the thought off, deciding it didn't matter at the moment. ''What's a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates doing all the way out here?''

''Ah, it's a long story...nothing for you to worry about though.'' Ace replied airily.

As it so happened, Chopper had noticed Luffy's scent in the earlier chaos and so he quickly warned Sanji before they gathered the others and hurried over.

They arrived in time to see Ace and Smoker unleashing more blasts of fire and smoke, with both attacks effectively negating each other. Smoker ground his teeth and struck again but the former stopped him with ease, the clash forced many of the people nearby, including Smoker's own troops, to back off from the force of their powers.

''Just give up. I'm fire and you're smoke, this battle would never end.'' He said.

''He's helping us?'' Vivi wondered.

''Yeah, looks like he and Luffy know each other...'' Zoro started.

Ace's expression darkened seeing how many marines were preparing to fight, apparently not even keeping the gathering townspeople in mind.

This wasn't good, were they seriously going to focus on dealing with a few pirates rather than the people's safety? The townspeople were bound to get caught up in a fight at this distance.

Thinking fast, he raised a big wall of fire to force Smoker and his group back before looking at Luffy and what he guessed to be his friends from the little bits of their talk he picked up earlier. ''Come on, let's get out of here!''

* * *

Nami sighed in relief once they were all a safe distance away before looking at Ace ''Thanks a lot!''

He just smiled ''It's nothing, really. I just thought it was better to leave things as they were. There's no need to involve those who had nothing to do with the battle...though you'd think the marines would have remembered something so basic.''

''Nothing new there.'' Zoro said with a scoff, though he agreed with the sentiment completely.

So did Miguel ''Yeah, many seem to be focused on their goals that they lose sight of what's important.''

''True, true.'' Nami nodded. She looked from their captain to Ace ''So anyway, how do you two know each other? I never would've pictured Luffy having a connection to a part of the Whitebeard pirates.''

Ace raised an eye ''Luffy never told you guys?''

Aforementioned teen chose to speak up then ''Ace is my big brother!''

The young man sighed at their surprised looks ''I should've known...''

''Why didn't you tell us before, Luffy?'' Usopp demanded.

''What? It never came up before.'' He said defensively. ''Who's Whitebeard anyway? You guys act like he's a big deal.''

Ace merely shook his head with a bemused look, not at all surprised. Usopp and Nami on the other hand...

''That's because he is!''

''More like a huge deal! How does someone who likes pirates so much not know of him?''

Luffy gave them a puzzled glance before looking at Miguel for help, since he was one of those who was more likely to explain.

Given what he'd seen so far, Miguel figured that it was less that Luffy liked pirates and more that he liked the idea of being a pirate. ''Whitebeard is the one of the best pirates out there, Luffy. He was the Pirate King's rival, and he's one of the Yonko just like Shanks. His crew has so many members that they're actually centered in divisions and they're all known to be strong. He's known as the ruler of the seas.''

''Whoa, cool!'' The teen's eyes widened. Ace was working with someone like that? Damn...

''That's about right.'' Ace half-smiled. ''Sorry, little brother but I'll be working to make Pops the king, not you.''

Luffy didn't mind at all ''Bring it on!''

Ace looked amused ''Now how about you introduce me to your crew? I've been looking forward to meeting them.''

Luffy happily proceeded to do just that and Ace fully introduced himself in return as Portgas D. Ace. Some were curious as they expected him to have the same family name as Luffy but he merely waved it off as them being sworn brothers.

Ace was surprised to know that Vivi was with them and Luffy figured that he knew enough about what was going on to learn what was said about the princess but he quickly promised to explain later. Though he did note that his brother's expression turned intrigued when he learned who Miguel was, why was that?

''So I hope you don't mind me coming along with you for now.'' Ace said at last.

''Oh, not at all.'' Sanji assured with the others agreeing as well.

The cook was still surprised that Luffy's brother was this polite. Why couldn't their captain have learned from him?

''So do we go back to Merry? Where was she?'' Luffy asked.

''Oh, good grief.'' Ace sighed. ''A captain should keep track of his own ship, Luffy.''

Nami snorted ''You'd think so. But to answer that, no, we can't use the river here because of Baroque Works, remember? Miguel said he had an idea to help us figure out our next move.''

''Right, hold on.'' Aforementioned young man walked on, requipping his wind sword before leveling it. ''Foresight Wind.'' A green spell circle appeared before him before a billowing gale surged. This was a spell used to see things or people over a certain distance. So long as the magic passed something on the way, the caster would get an image of that at once.

It was used generally for smaller distances but since Vivi gave him the general direction of Katorea and Yuba, he could at least start from there.

Luffy blinked, cocking his head as Miguel remained where he was ''Miguel?''

Usopp crossed his arms when the latter didn't respond ''He probably needs to focus, Luffy, let's wait.''

At first, nothing much happened and Miguel figured that the range was simply too far for the spell to help. Deciding that another try wouldn't hurt, Miguel changed directions and recast the spell. Moments later, his eyes widened at the feedback he received then.

Zoro raised an eye ''You got something?''

Miguel nodded and quickly explained about the spell ''Since we're closer to Katorea, I can tell Vivi was right, it seems way too quiet and empty for the rebels to be here just yet. What I don't understand is what I saw the second time...''

''Why?''

''Well, I saw a few of the desert creatures but then there was this town, it was in ruins though...''

Vivi started ''Is there anything in particular you can recall about that place?''

Miguel gave her a curious look but answered ''Well...there was what looked like a few really big trees. I think there's a branch of a river that went through it, but it's dried up. There were a few people going about for some reason. I think there were a few tents too. A bunch of the buildings had bits of this odd green and gold design, it seemed pretty elaborate.''

''That sounds like Erumalu...'' The girl realized. She had been in the town enough times to recognize the details he mentioned. ''...it's on the way to Yuba, those might actually be the rebels.''

''We can still catch up to them!'' Chopper exclaimed, relieved.

Luffy grinned ''Then let's go!''

* * *

With that settled, since Erumalu was still a bit further away, they could use the Merry to sail to a closer shore before heading over on foot.

Thus, they all headed where the ship was docked. Ace was taking the time to catch up with his brother as well as get to know his friends. He told them a bit about how he came across the Mera Mera no Mi and headed to the Grand Line before adding a bit about his crew.

''You were on Drum?'' a surprised Luffy asked.

Ace nodded ''I guess you didn't get my message after all...'' The former gave him a confused look but he waved a dismissing hand. ''...don't worry about that. It all worked out anyway.''

''Then you've been traveling on your own for a while, huh? I heard your crew was actually way further in the Grand Line.'' Nami remarked.

''So did I.'' Vivi recalled the mention of Whitebeard coming up a few times in passing and they happened to find out along the way that Crocodile had some kind of grudge against him. ''The Whitebeard pirates have been in the New World for some time now.''

Luffy blinked ''New World?''

''That's what the second half of the Grand Line is called.'' The princess explained. ''The area extending from Reverse Mountain all the way to the other side just after the Saboady Archipelago is known as Paradise. From there on out, is the New World. It's said to be quite the chaotic sea, with wonders and mystery never seen before. But from what I heard, it's also where the elite pirates head out. It's said that the island thought to have One Piece lies at the very end of it.''

''Whoa...'' Chopper's eyes widened. ''...I wonder what kind of place that is.''

Luffy began to smirk ''Well, we're definitely going to make it there one day, just you wait.''

Ace felt his lips twitch as he noticed how most of his brother's crew seemed heartened and even pleased by that confidence. They seemed to get along nicely, he was glad to see that.

''So did you come all the way to see Luffy?'' Usopp wanted to know.

''That's part of the reason.'' Ace's brow furrowed. ''I would have tried to make sure we met up at some point. But what really set me on this path now was a promise I made to the crew.''

''Which is?''

''I'm going to catch a traitor.'' He informed, making everyone stop and look at him, not expecting that. ''A member of my division, Marshal D. Teach, he goes by Blackbeard nowadays. Have any of you heard of him?'' He wasn't too surprised when he got a round of negative answers. The man had been in the New World for quite some time after all and they'd only recently arrived on the Grand Line.

Zoro thought Ace's dark tone spoke volumes. This man was looking like bad news. ''...What'd he do?''

''Another of the Division commanders, Thatch, found a Devil Fruit. But he never cared for taking one and he said something about it unsettled him so he decided to just keep it away and get advice on what to do with it from Pops.'' Ace began. ''We knew that traitor wanted the fruit but Thatch tried to convince him to wait. He just played us all for fools and killed Thatch for it.''

''What?!''

''He killed one of his crew mates for that thing?'' Chopper cried, looking appalled.

''What a low-life.'' Nami hissed. This guy was just the kind of pirate she hated.

Miguel's eyes narrowed ''That's despicable...''

''I couldn't agree more.'' Ace said. ''He gathered a crew and attacked Drum but I don't have any idea why...''

Chopper looked up in surprise at this. So Blackbeard had been the pirate Kureha told him about? He had been on the other side of the island gathering herbs but he still remembered seeing the repercussions of the attack afterwards.

''...and apparently, he came here. But I haven't found any sign of him yet.'' Ace finished.

Usopp frowned thoughtfully ''I wonder if he could be with Baroque Works...''

''I don't think so.'' Sanji countered ''It seems a little odd to think he deserted one crew to join another, especially if you consider the difference between them. Besides, we know plenty about them thanks to Vivi-chan. A former member of Whitebeard's crew would be strong and experienced, he'd stand out. It sounds more like he went off to start his own

''Good point...'' The sniper trailed off as they drew close to the port.

''Well, we can...'' Luffy blinked as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching fast, making him look for the source to find a group of armed men running towards them.

''We finally found them!''

''Straw Hat and his crew. Even Fire Fist Ace!''

''Princess Vivi too!''

''If we take them down, we'll be promoted for sure!''

''Who're they?'' Sanji wondered, unimpressed. Did they seriously think they could take them all down?

''Baroque Works' Millions.'' Vivi replied and he nodded, remembering what she told back at the meeting. Baroque Works' hierarchy was Billions, Millions, the Frontier Agents, the Officer Agents, Miss All-Sunday and then of course Crocodile. Plenty of the Millions had been in Whiskey Peak, working as bounty hunters.

''Uh, guys?'' He blinked and looked at Chopper, noting that he was watching Luffy and Ace. The cook then realized that both were walking away as if nothing even changed. ''What're you doing?''

''We do need to get your ship, right?'' The latter returned.

''Yeah, but...''

''Come on, let's go.'' Luffy said.

Zoro snickered and Sanji was trying hard not to laugh too, seeing how the Millions were getting aggravated. Seeing the brothers ignore them like that was really far too amusing.

Upset as they were, the Millions decided that the best way to make them pay for this mockery was to act on their earlier word and so they attacked.

The battle ended almost as quickly as it began, for Luffy and Ace were able to take them down handily. The Billions had some skill but they had really overestimated themselves. Luffy and Ace were not only stronger but they also showed a lot of experience fighting together as they proved to be an incredible team.

Miguel half-smiled ''Well, that was expected really...''

Nami nodded ''Clearly those guys are picked for brawns, not brains.'' Did they really think they could take on both their captain and one of the leaders of the Whitebeard Pirates like that?

Luffy smiled when they reached the ship ''That's Merry, Ace!''

''A caravel, huh? Haven't seen one of those in quite a while.'' His brother hummed, looking on curiously.

Just as they set sail, they noticed a number of ships right in the way. But they knew it was deliberate the second they spotted the familiar mark of Baroque Works.

''They sure are persistent.'' Zoro grunted.

''Miguel!'' Luffy prompted.

The quartermaster nodded, picking up on the unspoken order ''Got it. First things first...'' He leveled his arm. ''...Pleiades!'' A spell circle flashed before rays of starlight surged towards the ships. Miguel gathered power until it formed a golden glow around his arm, shooting it out as a big blast a second later. ''Spectrum Ray!''

Both attacked merged a second later, forming a multitude of blasts that rained on a number of ships at once, damaging them badly and forcing the enemies to jump ship.

Ace began to smile ''That's pretty good...'' He noted the remaining ships trying to gather and change directions. ''...leave those to me.'' He jumped. ''Fire Fist!''

Fierce flames shot blasted the ships a second later and Ace manipulated his power skillfully so as to take care of any remaining opposition.

''Whoa...'' Chopper uttered.

''Awesome!'' Luffy exclaimed.

* * *

As Ace watched his brother go about the ship, he couldn't help but note that Luffy had hardly changed at all.

''What're you doing?'' Luffy looked over Nami's shoulder before trying to pull the map she was holding closer to him.

She swatted his hand ''Hey, careful with that! We need to take care of this map!''

''It'll be fine, I wanna see!''

''Why? It's not like you can read maps!''

Luffy pouted at this and turned away, but he didn't stay down for long as he noticed Usopp playing with Chopper. The two were quick to involve him upon catching his interest and the three immediately started a game of tag.

Ace smiled to himself, while his brother had grown stronger, he was still the same friendly, excitable and adventurous soul he had always been.

''You look happy.''

He blinked and turned left as Miguel joined him ''Sure hope you're having a good time here.''

''Yeah, loads. Well, in my opinion it's hard to wind up bored when Luffy's around.''

The latter smiled ''True, after getting to know him, I can just imagine how colorful your days together as kids were.''

Ace laughed ''Colorful's right, that's for sure. But yeah, I knew Luffy wanted to become a pirate too and I wondered what kind of crew he'd get. You guys sure came as a surprise but a nice one, he definitely seems content with this turnout.''

''Well, I'm glad. We all feel that way...'' Miguel said as they glanced at the others. ''...the crew does care about each other. Luffy's the one who brought us together and he's even helping us keep going. Even if he does go too far or when there's trouble, we try to have each other's backs.''

''That's nice to hear.'' Ace returned. ''Hearing you were one of his crew did come as a surprise though.'' Miguel gave him a curious look, clearly wondering why. ''I think you know by now but our crew has some good connections in Elysia. I've gotten to hear plenty about you and your family recently. Who would have thought one of the nation's heroes would become a pirate?''

''Calling me a hero is just too much...'' He trailed off. Miguel hadn't really noticed to the reputation his family was gathering until he almost left and even then, he hadn't thought it would spread as it had.

He did know about the Whitebeard Pirates' connections in his homeland though, that was the actual reason he wound up learning about the legendary pirate when he had years. Whitebeard actually had a really good reputation in Elysia. While he had taken many by surprise at first with his actions, he'd even tried to help them in their worst times. Whitebeard was one of the few people who was allowed past their defenses because of that. Many didn't really mind that he was a pirate because they could see he was a good person.

Ace looked amused, Miguel was just like he'd been told. ''I had a feeling you'd say that. But hey, someone who kept working with the relief efforts to make things better for his home and people, who even went off to travel and find a way to help said effort, all without ever expecting a thing in return? Sounds like a hero to me.''

''Erm, thanks...''

Ace still remembered how confused he'd been when the crew headed towards Elysia and even got past the defenses so easily. Ace had really thought they were taking things too lightly until he realized that the people managing the entrances were pleasantly surprised to see Whitebeard.

While he could understand the people having a terrible opinion of the marines after all they had been through, their reception had sure thrown Ace for a loop. And while some just liked to keep to themselves, the wizards he'd gotten to know had been a warm and kind bunch that tried to make the best of what they had. It reminded him of a phoenix rising from the ashes, they were trying to be strong and get their home back to the way it was against all odds. It was people like Miguel and his family who helped keep such a resolution going. Ace would freely admit that they had earned his respect for their actions before he even met them. Now that he was getting to know Miguel, he thought the faith they had earned was well-founded.

* * *

It wasn't long before they reached the shore. After Vivi sent Carue to Alubarna with a message for her father, they went on towards their destination. Everyone sans Ace and Chopper, who were helped by a Devil Fruit and the crystal Miguel had given him respectively, were feeling the worst of the blistering sun.

Luffy, for once, was walking at a rather sedate pace, panting ''...So...hot...''

''It's a desert, Luffy, of course it's hot.'' Sanji deadpanned. They were feeling the heat too, complaining wasn't about to help.

Usopp was in a similar state, leaning on a stick to help him keep walking ''...water...''

''You drank some a few minutes ago! We have to ration it.''

''Tony, are you okay?'' Vivi asked, thinking he'd have it even worse than them.

Chopper nodded with a smile ''It really is hot but Miguel gave me something to help. So long as I keep that, I'm fine.''

''What?!'' Usopp looked at the wizard. ''You couldn't have given us some of that stuff? I'm dying here!''

''Hardly...'' Sanji deadpanned.

''The crystal only works for Chopper because he's got such a high tolerance to the cold. The fact that he's handling it this carefully is a pretty good help too. It'd probably give any normal person frostbite in minutes, Usopp.'' Miguel said, his attention mostly on the lacrima he was currently holding. The sniper groaned at the news but then he was distracted when the lacrima suddenly lit up and Miguel took out his ice sword before placing it near the item. Slowly, the lacrima gained a pale blue hue and everyone sensed the temperature around them drop somewhat.

''Whoa, that's better!''

''Yeah, what was that?'' Nami wanted to know.

''This type of lacrima is set up to help with harsh weathers like this.'' Miguel stated, putting his sword aside. ''But since it needs to gather some ethernano to activate, it takes time.''

''How come you didn't...'' Usopp stopped himself in time, having immediately wondered why Miguel didn't show them this back in Drum. But he could guess the answer, this looked like it depended on the type of magic used. So that was a definite no-go.

At Miguel's puzzled look, he quickly added ''Oh, I was just wondering when you picked up that stuff!''

''Back when you guys got all happy with the telescope. I figured we'd need it since we were coming here.''

''Good call.'' Zoro half-smiled.

''Yeah, this is great!'' Luffy began rushing ahead, but he immediately felt the heat back in seconds, making him slump. ''...What gives?''

''It's got a limited range.'' Miguel stated.

''Can't you make it bigger?''

''The lacrima can't take a lot of magic at once, Luffy. It'd fall apart.''

Ace gave his brother a pointed look when he groaned ''Don't be so ungrateful. He's doing everyone a big favor.''

''Seriously, it's your own problem for being so impatient.'' Nami huffed, sparing Miguel a thankful look. ''And you shouldn't be taking off anyway, there's a lot we don't know about this place.''

''That's true for most of us...'' Usopp pointed out, looking at the one person who could give them some good advice now. ''...Vivi, you got any tips we could use now?''

''Well...'' The princess started but she never got far because they were all distracted by a lot of noise a second later. This left the group to find the source only to find it was Luffy, who was fighting with a strange seal like creature with a shell on its back. ''...oh, no...''

''I win!'' Luffy enthused.

Vivi groaned ''That's a Kung-Fu Dugong, you shouldn't ever fight them in the first place!''

''Why?'' He was even more confused seeing as the animal was taking its defeat rather well, even bowing to him deferentially.

''They always look for strong opponents to learn what they can and keep fighting. And if someone beats them, they become their disciple...they tend to travel in groups...'' Vivi wasn't surprised to see that other dugongs were gathering nearby. ''...so they'll all want to fight you now.''

Luffy perked up ''I can take them!''

''That's not the problem.'' Zoro deadpanned. ''Oi, Chopper, can't you explain this to them? We can't go around taking others with us now, they'd slow us down.''

Nodding, the little reindeer proceeded to do just that. The dugong group looked rather disheartened at this ''Luffy, could you teach them a couple of moves? It'd be good enough for everyone.''

''Sure thing!''

* * *

As they kept going, the group came across a large lizard creature that was chasing a camel. But it immediately attacked them too in a short while, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji quickly leapt in to take it down.

''Whoa...'' Miguel was all for helping them but he quickly saw that they more than had this covered.

''They didn't need to go that far, did they?'' Usopp wondered, holding back a wince as they pummeled the monster.

''Oh, that's nothing.'' The two looked over at Nami but she pointed to their far left where Ace was dealing with another monster not too far away. It tried to eat him but he merely unleashed a blast of fire to stop it in its tracks before he started to cook it.

''That's overkill...'' Chopper mumbled. He felt for the animals. ''...do they have to do all this?''

''Well, those creatures are usually very aggressive.'' Vivi offered, patting his head. ''Sad to say, that's for the best, really.''

Nami had to agree with that opinion but looking at this she couldn't help but say ''I actually feel for the monsters now...''

As Chopper made sure the camel was okay, he could tell that the animal was grateful to them as it was sure it would've been eaten if it wasn't for them. Once he filled the others in, Usopp got the idea to ask if it would give them rides.

He perked up when the camel nodded in answer ''Really? Great! Then let's take turns...'' But then they were thrown for a loop when the camel stepped back with a huff, its expression set in a scowl. ''Hey! What's the deal?''

''What's wrong?'' Chopper blinked, the camel looked back at him and answered. ''Eh? What do you mean you'll only give the girls a ride?''

''That's not fair!'' Usopp exclaimed while the camel gave him a look and grunted, clearly unfazed. ''Why you ungrateful little...''

''Looks like we found a real piece of work here.'' Zoro grunted.

Vivi sighed ''I'll say...''

Sanji exhaled ''Well, there's really no point moaning about it now. How about it, ladies? Sounds like a chance to make the most of what we have.''

Nami nodded ''Come on, Vivi.''

The girl's brow furrowed, she didn't feel right about riding when most of the others couldn't ''I don't know...you can ride, Nami. I'll be fine.''

''Ah, don't be like that, let's use our free ride.''

''I get that you're used to the desert but it can still wear anyone down. You should go ahead.'' Miguel offered as he finished preparing the lacrima again.

''Well...if you say so...''

Ace gave her a reassuring look ''Don't worry, they've got the right idea, go on.'' Vivi nodded and got on the camel's back. He blinked as a thought occured to him before looking at the camel. ''Hey wait, did you see a bunch of people moving about here recently?''

The camel grunted, sounding puzzled but the others understood that he was thinking of the rebels. Chopper then spoke up ''Ah, we don't have much of a description but we know a lot of them are going about in groups and their base was in a town nearby. Did you ever see the rebel army?'' His eyes widened when the camel nodded. ''Really? Where?'' The camel began to explain. ''Oh...''

''Well?'' Nami prompted.

''He says we're in the right direction if we're trying to find them. Apparently he passed Yuba recently and there was a bunch of people going about there, it really did look like they were preparing to leave. He doesn't know where they're going but he did see a tent under a big rock before.''

''Good! Then let's keep going.''

* * *

When it was night time, they found a big rock near a hill and settled down there. Vivi had warned them the temperature got rather cold at night and the desert dwellers were a lot more vicious so it was considered far too reckless to traverse the desert at this time. Since they all believed this to be the best course of action, they decided to turn in for the night.

Zoro exhaled as he lit the fire ''Man, this place is a pain. Really hot at day time and then so cold at night, I don't get why people would want to live here.''

''People can adapt to a lot of stuff given time, they must be used to it.'' Nami said with a shrug.

''Can we go faster tomorrow?'' Luffy asked the group at large.

''No.'' A bunch of voices replied at once.

''Luffy, I don't think we can keep going at the pace you want. Besides, pushing yourself like that all the time isn't good for you.'' Chopper said as he put the crystal away.

''You'd just get worn out if you keep going like that. Not to mention the lacrima, we can't go faster and have it running the way it was.'' Vivi added.

''While I agree with most of that, don't hold your breath. I don't remember the last time Luffy ran out of energy.'' Ace stated, exasperation clear in his tone.

''Quit being selfish! Our pace is just fine, you're the one who keeps overdoing it.'' Nami chided, making the rubber teen pout.

''Wow...this is the first time I've seen the stars so clearly!'' Chopper smiled as he watched the sky.

''So you couldn't do that back at your home?'' Miguel wondered.

''The island was usually covered by clouds with the weather the way it was. I never got a good chance.''

''I see...well, I understand how you feel, that really makes for a great view.'' Vivi half-smiled, seeing him nod happily in return.

Usopp hugged him and sighed ''You're lucky, Chopper, no wonder you're so comfortable now. I'm already feeling warm.''

A curious Luffy joined them a moment later, wrapping his arms around the doctor ''Oh, yeah, that feels nice!''

Chopper couldn't help but smile as he enjoyed the feeling too. To think there was one point where he believed that something like this would never happen...now he had friends, real friends who accepted him for who he was. It was amazing how life could turn out.

* * *

Luffy tried to take some of the food Sanji was making but the cook swatted his hand away.

''It's not ready yet.''

''But I'm hungry!''

Sanji spared him an annoyed look ''Just wait, you idiot, I'll be done soon.''

And indeed he was, soon he made sure everyone had their share as well. The blond found that, Luffy as usual had inhaled his first share and the second as well. Not that it was surprising at this point, it was just annoying. Especially since he was trying to steal from their plates as usual. But since most of them were used to this by now and Ace was more than glad to help them, he didn't get much of anything.

''Are you ever going to stop doing that?!''

''But it's been this way for so long, ever since we were kids...'' Luffy started.

''Yeah, not buying that.'' His brother cut in, sparing him an unimpressed look. ''I had the same upbringing as you and you don't see me trying to pull this.''

Miguel looked between the two, puzzled ''What kind of upbringing could cause something like this?''

''Yeah, he always acts like he's been starved for ages around meal times. You're telling me that's actually normal?'' Sanji added.

Ace just chuckled ''Let's just say we had an unusual childhood.''

* * *

A short while later...

Usopp shivered a bit under his sleeping bag ''Chopper, can't you come back here?''

''No, if you're cold, go closer to the fire like the others did.''

''Now you're being mean...'' He huffed, though some of the others began seeing the doctor's reasoning when he settled next to Miguel, who was fast asleep.

''Yeah, but he wasn't complaining. You're just being lazy.'' Nami said flatly.

''Am not! It's not like Miguel moved over, did he?'' He retorted. ''It just isn't fair!''

''Oh, so expecting a guy with pyrophobia to get closer to fire so easily is fair?'' She shot back.

Usopp cringed, now regretting his wording. He really hadn't been thinking earlier but that made a lot of sense, he mumbled an apology as Vivi and Chopper glared at him.

''Wait, pyrophobia?'' Ace blinked, looking back, Miguel had reacted a little strangely when he revealed his powers. ''What happened?''

''Well...'' Chopper only knew a bit of the situation, since as the crew's doctor, he tried to learn as much as he could about their conditions but he told what he knew of the battle that caused this fear.

''Ah...'' Ace grimaced. ''...that sounds like the battle of Port Dianeira.''

''You know about it?''

''Yeah...we only learned about it too late but I remember how mad Pops was when he told us.'' Ace thought back. He completely understood the feeling, that was a despicable trick the marines used. Whitebeard had even attacked a few marine ships in retaliation. ''All that death and destruction just because of their petty goals...'' He shook his head in disgust. ''...we've seen the aftermath and our friends there all described it as a nightmare.'' He glanced at Miguel. ''It's no surprise he's got some scars after that...he's definitely the one.''

''Miguel did mention it in passing...'' Sanji recalled, when they asked him the other day, he'd been rather reluctant to talk but eventually admitted that some of the people he knew well had died in the battle. He had also been about to mention someone else but immediately stopped himself and the look on his face proved that this other loss had especially hurt. Though he flat out refused to say anymore when they tried to find out more and none of them felt like pressing for information. ''...come to think of it, that was the reason he really got us thinking things over, huh?''

Nami hummed in agreement ''He was right about the rebels after all. I can imagine how angry the people of Elysia were. The situation here is getting to be bad too, I'm glad he started that meeting. I feel more ready to deal with things here now.''

''Me too.'' Usopp admitted, with Sanji and Chopper nodding.

''So do I.'' Vivi added. ''Looking back, it did feel foolish to just rush like I intended. After taking Miguel's advice, I think I understand the situation here much better.''

''That's just one of the perks of a good team.'' Ace stated. ''You get all sorts of perspectives and it makes yours grow. Looks like you're doing pretty well on that front.''

''All right, come on, we should all turn in too. We're going to be busy tomorrow.'' Nami told everyone.

* * *

 _And that's it!_

 _I don't know why but I kind of a hard time working on the chapter for a while. I really wanted to make some headway with the trouble I had planning this arc and I think it mostly worked, there's just a little bit I haven't quite sorted yet but over all, I've made some decent progress._

 _I hope you like my version of the Alabasta arc so far. The Whitebeard pirates are one of my favorite crews, I have to admit that I hate what happened to them in canon. And I can honestly see Whitebeard going out of his way to help Elysia. The only reason he didn't make it a territory of his crew is that the leaders of Elysia just wanted to avoid any possible trouble from the government as a result, but they still consider Whitebeard an ally. As you can expect, none of them really care that he's a pirate as he had already proven himself to them._

 _I can't remember if I mentioned this and I was going to explain this next chapter but in case I didn't and to clear up confusion, Elysia has this defense called the Mistral Barrier. It makes sure that the region can't be seen unless they want it to be. It also works some what like a finger print scanner for wizards in that they scan select the oncoming wizards' magic and it could allow them in or not depending on the person. For other people, they have to be keyed in to be allowed entry. Whitebeard's one of the people allowed to do it._

 _Well, that's all I had to say but if there are questions, you're welcome to ask. I'll do my best to answer so long as they're not spoilers. Thanks for reading, till next time!_


	26. Chapter 26

The group came across Erumalu early the next day, seeing how it was currently nothing but a ghost town.

Nami looked around the area, noting the elaborate designs on some of the decrepit buildings ''...This used to be a big place, huh?''

Vivi nodded sadly ''Erumalu used to be known as the City of Green.''

Luffy blinked ''Green? But...''

The princess didn't blame him for being skeptic. After all, it was really hard to believe now ''It was one of the most well-known and beautiful places in all of Alabasta. By preserving water and using it wisely, the people were able to grow plants well. But now...'' Her fists clenched as her expression darkened. ''...this is Crocodile's work, his devil fruit lets him unleash sandstorms. But since we live in a desert, no one would think much of it.''

Miguel frowned, he had seen the area with his magic earlier but coming here made it all the more worse. It was just proof of how much Alabasta suffered during the recent years. This sight also reminded him a little too much of some of the consequences of war they had to deal with at the Elysia Archipelago.

Once again people suffered and lives were ruined all for a few individuals (in this case, one's) greed. Why did it always have to be like this?

''With all his schemes, now people believe Crocodile's a hero.'' Vivi went on. ''And they don't even know that he only cares about himself-we're the only ones who can do anything to stop him.''

Luffy grinned ''That's why we're here, Vivi! You can count on us!''

She began to smile at her friends when they nodded back ''...I know, thank you.''

* * *

''Wait, what do you mean, fly?! That's nuts!'' Usopp exclaimed. Thanks to Luffy's impatience, they had landed in the path of a group of monsters which were clearly trying to slowly box them in so they would land in a pit of quick sand. He didn't see how flying would help with all the monsters, wouldn't they still be a target?

''We have to, Usopp!'' Chopper stated from his perch on Zoro's shoulder.

Miguel gave him an annoyed look ''Basically your options are flying with me or going with Luffy. Pick your poison.''

Well, when he put it like that...

Usopp mimed zipping his mouth before nodding at them. Miguel arched an eye ''I thought so.''

Despite the situation, most of the group was left rather amused by this. Luffy on the other hand, huffed ''Hey, so no one wants to come with me?''

''I think we all prefer the safer option.'' Vivi offered.

''Just be glad you never got an up close and personal view of his idea of flying...'' Nami grumbled.

''...Jerks.''

''Grow up!'' She smacked him on the head.

''...Luffy, if your rocket is even half as bad as I remember than this reaction is entirely justified.'' Ace said flatly, making the teen scowl.

''Just think, he could've been worse before.'' Zoro deadpanned.

''Yeah, there's a scary thought...'' Nami trailed off.

Miguel raised a hand, a spell seal flashed before the group was elevated by an unseen force which quickly took them away from the range of the monsters.

Ace half-smiled ''Gravity magic, huh? Handy.''

''I am never doubting you again.'' Usopp told Miguel, leaving him bemused.

''Oi, look!'' Sanji pointed ahead, indicating more desert creatures surrounding a group of people. There were others near them fighting a group of bandits and a few getting dragged in quick sand. ''What's all this?''

''We can figure that out later, we have to help them!'' Vivi exclaimed.

''Right, hang on!'' Luffy stretched out his arms, first grabbing the people in the quick sand and hauling them away. This brought the people's attention towards them, with a number recognizing Vivi then.

What was unexpected was Vivi's reaction in turn ''Kite, Mani, Sera?!''

''You know them?'' Usopp clarified.

Zoro drew his swords as some of the bandits came at them ''Heads up!''

He met one of the attackers head on, blocking his blade with Kitetsu. It didn't take him long to break the stalemate and defeat the attacker in an instant. Similarly, Sanji jumped in to defend a bandit who had been about to attack Vivi and knocked him out with a single kick.

''I won't let you bastards near Vivi-chan!''

Another of the attackers sent out a hook at Ace, only to freeze at shock when the weapon went through him harmlessly. Ace smirked and took the bandit out with a punch to the solar plexus while Usopp pelted the bandits further away with some well placed blasts courtesy of his slingshot. Chopper took the opportunity to find their enemies weak points before striking them down with precision.

''Gum Gum Pistol!'' Luffy punched a bandit hard, sending him flying into a couple of his comrades before changing targets to the monsters just as Miguel did the same. Vivi took down an enemy in her way with her slicer rings before one tried to sneak up on her. Nami intervened in time, blocking the attacker's weapon with her staff and swiftly knocking him out.

Miguel decided to take advantage of the terrain and so requipped his wind sword, employing his magic to boost his speed before he slashed one of the monsters with all the power he could muster and felled it. The force of the blow also raised a wave of sand that blinded another monster and Luffy proceeded to take it down with a few powerful punches. Soon, keeping up with that pace, the opposition was down for the count.

Vivi looked back at the travelers ''Are you all right?''

She almost flinched when they regarded her warily ''...Why are you here?'' The only girl among the group asked.

''Vivi-chan, you know some of them, right?'' Sanji clarified.

''Yes, it's been some time since we last met but we've been friends for years.''

''Oh! So they were part of that group you told us about?'' Nami recalled, seeing her nod then.

Vivi had apparently snuck out of the palace and ran into the boy who would become the rebel army leader, Kohza and his friends. After they saw what she was really like, the girl was invited to join their group and they spent many times together.

''...We _were_ friends.'' The young man she'd identified as Mani stated. ''Things changed.''

Vivi looked like she'd been slapped while Luffy frowned and stepped in front of her. Ace exhaled ''...So you're one of those people, huh? You find it that easy to believe a bunch of rumors over your own friend?''

He bristled ''What do you know?! We've had to deal with so much because she and her father aren't doing anything for the people!''

''She's been doing everything she can!'' Nami fired back at once. ''It really doesn't make sense, the king's been taking such good care of the country, he's been a benevolent ruler for years. How can you all believe the worst of him so easily?''

''None of this would've happened if he hadn't used that damn Dance Powder!'' He retorted. ''Besides, she just left and she doesn't have a clue what's been happening this whole time!''

''That's not true!'' Luffy countered. ''Vivi left to find a way to save this country, the king didn't do anything bad. You guys are being played!''

''I bet she told you that, huh? How do we know she isn't helping him?'' A man demanded. ''She's the princess, after all!''

''That's why I came back now! Please listen, they're telling the truth...'' Vivi started.

''Why should we believe you?! Look at the crap the army's been doing, they're even sending people to get rid of us now!'' The man retorted.

''What? No! They wouldn't...''

''Look at those swords!'' He cut her off, pointing at the discarded weapons. ''There's no way plain old bandits can get their hands on something like this. I know for a fact that I've seen those things at the palace.''

Vivi faltered, knowing he was right for she recognized those weapons as something usually prepared for the guards there.

But surely, this had to be a set up. Her father would never do something like this! How could she convince them though?

''Seems like an awful lot of trouble...'' Miguel's voice broke through the ensuing silence, making the two look at him. He was levitating a few of the attackers with Telekinesis magic. ''...for imposters to go through.''

''Imposters?''

''If you're so sure they're the real deal then explain a couple things. First, that mark.'' He nodded towards the unconscious men, indicating a symbol on their shoulder. Vivi inhaled sharply as she recognized Baroque Works' symbol. ''We've seen this before and it was never in a good time. I highly doubt anyone actually loyal to the country like you all are would have this. Second, those weapons you were talking about...''

He picked up one of the swords, gesturing at a small case tied on a string attached to the hilt. Chopper noticed how the camel recoiled before taking a whiff of the air and cringing ''Miguel, that thing has poison in it!''

''I know. There were people using something a lot like this back on Whiskey Peak.'' He informed.

Sanji scowled ''So it's just Baroque Works and their dirty tricks again!''

Miguel looked back at the rebels ''Well, you've been working this hard against the army. If they were the sort to use poison, wouldn't this civil war be a whole lot shorter?''

''T-that's...'' Mani stuttered as his comrades exchanged awkward looks. Reluctant as they were to admit, they knew that all Miguel said was making a lot of sense. Something was amiss here...

''Look the thing is, like it or not Nami has a point. Some-if not all of you-grew up in Alabasta. You've seen what it was like before, you know what Vivi and her father are like. There are still those who believe that this war isn't necessary, they can have faith. Just ask yourselves, are they really the sort to do something so despicable? Or would they be the sort who would do everything to help the country?'' Miguel asked.

None of them responded, but he wasn't expecting an answer. Miguel would be perfectly satisfied if he could just get them to truly think and draw their own conclusions.

Vivi spared him a grateful smile before looking back at the group ''Please...hear me out. There's more to this situation than you think. I left to find a way to save our country. I know you all care for Alabasta just like I do. Would you all come with us for now?''

* * *

As it were, the group came to agree, wanting to hear what Vivi and her friends had to say. Since they were very close to Yuba at this point, it only took a short while for them to make it there.

That lead to them being found by a rather disgruntled man who frowned at the rebels. ''You again? Just when I thought I'd seen the back of you, you go and bring more friends...''

''We're not their friends!'' Luffy huffed, leaving him surprised.

''Eh? Then...'' The man froze when his eyes landed on Vivi. ''...you're...!''

Luffy started ''Oi, old man, she's definitely not the princess!''

Usopp smacked his head while Sanji facepalmed ''Idiot!''

''...It's been quite some time and I know I've lost weight but it's me, Toto.'' The man explained.

A surprised Vivi took a closer look at him, realizing it was the truth ''Oh, it's so good to see you again!''

''You're a sight for sore eyes, Princess!'' He smiled. ''I knew you wouldn't have abandoned Alabasta.''

She couldn't help smiling at this show of faith ''I had no idea you were still here...after what we heard about Yuba...''

''That's understandable.'' He returned. After all, it was a well-known fact that the rebel army used the town as their base for sometime. ''But I made a promise to his majesty and I wanted to keep it. He entrusted me with Yuba, I refuse to give up on this town.''

''Oh, Toto...'' Vivi trailed off, it was so good to see that he was still so loyal. If anything, he was more determined than ever.

''So everyone left besides you? Is that how those guys came to settle in here?'' Zoro asked, with a glance at the rebels.

''Yes, the drought hit this place hard. The townspeople asked me to come more than once but I simply couldn't leave like this.'' Toto admitted. ''I was the only voice of dissent to those foolish rebels so I'm afraid I couldn't have done much to stop them.''

One of the rebels bristled ''What's so foolish about fighting for our country?''

''Didn't I say it before? You're fighting the wrong battles, boy!'' He retorted.

''Toto, since you're here, you should come too. I found out what's really happening in our country.'' Vivi explained. ''I want you to hear this too.''

''Of course, Princess. Right this way!''

* * *

Vivi finished telling them everything, how they knew something was off and so she and Igaram headed to investigate. How they came to learn about Baroque Works and infiltrated it, meeting the Straw Hats and finally-Crocodile's scheme. They could only listen, now all thrown for a loop.

''We all love this country, my father regrets that he can only do so much to help our people. I know you're doing this because you care and so does he. But please try to understand.'' Vivi finished.

''Crocodile...? This whole time he was...'' Sera trailed off.

''People thought it was strange that a Warlord decided to stay here but when he just helped deal with pirates, it seemed to be fine.'' Toto mused.

''That's exactly the point, old man. This guy's one hell of a manipulator. All of this is setting up for his scheme so he can take over Alabasta.'' Sanji stated.

''Yes, I see that...''

''Well, this is awfully convenient.'' This made them look at some of the rebels, who appeared doubtful. ''If there was this kind of third faction, we would've heard of it.''

''You _still_ think she's making this stuff up? Come on!'' Usopp exclaimed, looking irritated.

This time, Sera was on their side ''Give it a rest. Look, what's the point of lying about all this?''

''You too? How about that she gets to clear her dad's name?'' He retorted stubbornly.

''Unbelievable.'' Zoro grunted.

''...Man, you guys really are dumb.'' Luffy said flatly.

''I completely agree, Captain.'' Nami nodded. Yup, you know they had it bad if even Luffy could tell as much.

''What?!''

''Why do you always assume the worst of Vivi and the king? This isn't fair!'' Chopper frowned.

''He's right, have some shame!'' Toto scolded. ''You're a bunch of faithless fools who believe only they are in the right, you're acting like children!''

''Why you...!'' The apparent leader of the group growled. Their meant that they had actually been fighting a pointless battle all this time, he wouldn't believe it. ''How do we know it isn't a lowly trick? That those people weren't sent by the army to get rid of us, huh? Why should we believe this?''

Ace spared him a disdainful look ''You're just burying your heads in the sand now.''

''That's not to say he's completely wrong though.'' Everyone looked at Miguel in surprise.

''Oi, Miguel?!'' Sanji stared.

''What do you mean?'' Luffy wanted to know.

''Remember what we talked about on our way here?'' He returned. ''Vivi basically sussed most of this out but after what we learned from the meeting, I think I know what that battle was about. Crocodile's trying to fan the flames of war.''

Nami's eyes widened as she realized he was right, she was catching on to his train of thought. Did he mean...?

Miguel's next words wound up proving her suspicion true ''It's just like you said before-if the war continues, he gains the most out of it. The country would be weak and shaken, so he gets to swoop in and claim his prize. We just made it in time to help them.'' He looked at them all. ''What if we hadn't though? The rebels were getting separated on their way to their next base so they could be considered easy pickings. Normally, if people were killed in a situation like that, they'd assume it was because of the desert monsters.''

Chopper blinked ''Normally?''

''He means the weapons.'' Nami elaborated. ''They're just like the ones used by the army. If that plan had gone off without a hitch, the rest of the rebels would believe it was the king and his army behind this. They would sure to retaliate and the war would escalate that much more. Crocodile knows Vivi was on her way back, remember? I bet he was looking for a way to make sure her attempt to get through to the rebels would fail. He's too smart to leave anything up to chance.''

''It's just like what the creep Three did back on Little Garden!'' Usopp grimaced.

''Exactly, it's more manipulation from behind the scenes. He stands to gain the most that way.'' Nami stated.

''Do you see now?'' Toto addressed the rebels. ''All this anger won't lead you anywhere, his majesty cares deeply about us all. He's suffering just as much as we are because of that fraud. There's no point blaming the victims here.''

''Exactly! I want to stop this war, the people of Alabasta shouldn't suffer because of that monster. We've come to make sure he would answer for all of this.'' Vivi added. ''We all want what's best for Alabasta-can't we work together?''

Sera spared the group of skeptics a pointed look before looking at her and smiling ''Of course we can. I'm sorry we gave you a hard time-looking back, it really didn't make sense for you to just walk out on us like this but when so much time passed...'' She shook her head and took the girl's hands into her own. ''...good to have you back, Vivi.''

The princess beamed, feeling her heart swell at the sight of her old friend's familiar smile ''Good to be back.''

* * *

Sera and Kite promised the group that they would try to contact the rebels soon but the odds were, they would have to catch up with Kohza's group as to ensure that they could believe these news.

They sent out one of their messenger birds and were left to wait, since it was almost night time now. Toto invited Vivi, Ace and the Strawhats to spend the night in Yuba's inn, helping them to the best of his ability. They all knew that traveling the desert at night was exceedingly dangerous and the best they could do now was wait. Thus, they prepared to settle down for the night.

Ace approached Toto outside the inn ''There you are.''

''Oh, is everything all right?'' The man wanted to know.

''Yeah, we appreciate your help. There was just something I wanted to ask, if you don't mind.''

''Of course, what is it?'' Toto cocked his head.

''I'm looking for someone. Does the name Blackbeard ring any bells?'' Ace wanted to know.

''Blackbeard...'' The man began to think. Moments later, he tipped his open palm with a fist as the answer came to him. ''...oh, I heard something about that! I can't be sure if the man was ever in Alabasta but word got out about a fledgling bounty hunter who wanted to use his name. He pretended that he beat the guy to gain some reputation but he had to put his plans at a halt and focus on helping his family.''

''I see...'' Ace's brow furrowed. Well, that explained why the information about the traitor had been so scarce. Perhaps he had been following a false lead all along...

Shaking the thought off, Ace thanked Toto and returned to the inn, finding quite a scene in store.

Apparently Luffy and Usopp wanted to have a pillow fight and were trying to drag the others into it. In return, they decided to ignore them. Chopper was the only one who failed, having been far too irriated when they kept interrupting his reading and so decided to get back at them.

''Um, Sanji, that's my bed.'' Vivi pointed out, wondering why the cook was lying there so comfortably.

''Oh, I know. I wanted to warm it up for you.'' He chirped. ''Why don't you join me? We can have some good times.''

''I'd rather not...''

Zoro rolled his eyes ''You know you can just smack him, right? This idiot's a lost cause anyway.''

Sanji was about to retort but then he was smack dab in the face by a pillow. Scowling, he looked over in the direction of the one he knew was behind this ''Luffy, I told you shitheads I don't want any part of your stupid fight!''

''Oh, lighten up! Come on, Chopper's doing it too!'' was all he had to say to that.

Luffy decided to use powers to keep this going, enabling him to lob pillows at Usopp, Nami and Zoro in turn. The first was hit in a second, the second dodged it and the third simply grabbed the pillow before it hit him and kept it to himself.

They weren't about to be deterred though. Sanji scowled as he grabbed a pillow Vivi had ducked to avoid before tossing it back at Usopp. At the same time, Luffy lobbed another pillow at Miguel, who also managed to catch it.

''Hey, using magic is unfair!'' He huffed.

Miguel spared him a flat look, one reason was that because he hadn't even thought of using any in the first place. The second was...

''You do realize that's rich coming from you, right?'' He returned, pointedly staring at the teen's outstretched limbs.

Luffy stiffened but immediately tried to cover it up ''I-I don't know what you're talking about.''

''Right, I'm sure.'' Miguel drawled, turning back for a moment. ''I didn't want to do this with you guys in the first place but if you insist...'' He raised a hand, elevating two pillows with Telekinesis magic just as Luffy had tossed another at him. But he simply controlled that one too and in a second, he lobbed them back at the captain forcefully, leaving him to fall on the bed.

Most of the group couldn't help but laugh at the rubber teen's expression, thoroughly amused by the whole spectacle. Usopp high fived Miguel and Ace looked at his brother. ''You're biting off more than you can chew again, Luffy.''

Luffy chuckled a pillow at him in response. Ace readily grabbed the pillow and hurled it right back, making him fall again.

Ace's next comment drew laughter all around again. ''Correction, _way_ more than you can chew.''

* * *

Later that night...

Miguel stepped back ''That should do it.''

Toto looked on in awe as the wizard finished creating some large ice cubes which he and Luffy put in some barrels after filling some with water.

''I know you still haven't given up on the city and I respect that.'' Miguel admitted. ''This should at least be good enough to give you some fresh water down the line.''

''Thank you, that's very kind!'' Toto smiled.

Miguel smiled back, he had just been taking a walk when he spotted Luffy and Toto digging for water. He thought it was admirable of the man to keep going despite these odds and he was more than willing to give a helping hand. He understood how Toto felt about the city well...

''Good going!'' Luffy grinned. ''All right! Let's get back to work, I'm going to make sure we get water.''

''He's a regular ball of energy, huh?'' Toto chuckled.

''You have no idea...'' Miguel shook his head with a small smile. ''...Luffy, how about you try digging in the same hole Toto's making?''

''Does it really matter? I'm doing the same thing.''

''Yeah, but if you keep this up you'll close the hole I've been working on!'' Toto exclaimed.

''I don't get it...ah, so it's a mystery hole?'' Luffy cocked his head.

''No, it isn't!'' Toto sighed. ''Look, can you please just do what your friend said? It'd really help then.''

''Sure!''

''Ah, for what it's worth, he really does mean well.'' Miguel offered.

''I know...I really do appreciate what you're both doing. And what you did for Princess Vivi.'' Toto admitted. ''It may not seem so but many in the kingdom believe in her and his majesty. They've earned our faith, even if some of us seem to forget that.''

''Everyone's trying to deal with these rough times in their own way.'' Miguel returned. ''You really do trust the king more than most, huh?''

''Of course and now that I know the truth, I'm more than glad that I do.'' Toto said firmly. ''...And really I think you'll understand how I feel about this more than most. She told me about how you're among the people who worked hardest to bring back Elysia to what it used to be.''

''Yeah, Vivi's exaggerating though, I just did what I could.'' The young man said modestly. ''It just proves how far we can go for something truly important to us.''

''I couldn't agree more.'' Toto nodded. ''For what it's worth, I truly do respect your people's drive. Many of us in Alabasta do. Even after the hand they've been dealt with, they still try to do their best to take of their own. I think it's something to be proud of.''

''That it is...thank you.''

* * *

After a little training, Miguel returned to the inn. There, he was approached by Ace...

''I wondered what was going on. It's just like Luffy to get into something like this.'' He remarked with a grin, both glancing back at the rubber teen, who was digging enthusiastically.

''That's true.'' Miguel agreed. ''So you couldn't sleep?''

''Nah, we've just been talking...Luffy told me plenty about you guys, he really does count on all of you.''

''That's nice to hear. We all rely on him just the same.'' Miguel returned.

Ace noted the two swords he had been putting one being the blue water sword and another being the red fire sword. His eyes lingered on the second blade ''...You really are trying to get used to it, huh?''

Miguel stiffened for a moment but nodded, putting both swords away. ''...I know it's something I have to deal with and...''

It had been something he'd really been thinking about since Little Garden. If anything, the events on the island were a reminder of the issue he used to avoid. ''...I keep meaning to but it's just that whenever I have to deal with fire, I keep remembering what happened back then...''

How he and his uncle almost died, how many people suffered in that attack. As well as the people who lost their lives during that horrible day...

He didn't actually verbalize those thoughts but Ace understood the sentiment, partly due to his expression and also having heard plenty about the attack. He could understand how hard it was for him to face this.

Given what he'd come to learn yesterday, Ace would not be surprised if Miguel was still having trouble sleeping because of nightmares.

''You know, admitting there's a problem is the first step to solving it. Now you're actually trying to figure something, that's another step forward. Dealing with your fears takes some guts.''

''Thanks...but sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get over it...''

Ace stopped to think ''Well, how about we try a little training?'' Miguel looked at him in surprise. ''Come on, I don't think either of us are going to sleep soon anyway. Consider it a little push in the right direction.''

The quartermaster appeared unnerved at the idea but he could see what Ace was getting at. Things were bad enough at Little Garden because of his phobia, he didn't want to let it always get in the way.

''...All right.''

* * *

The next morning...

Toto made sure to give Luffy a barrel of water he'd been able to get from their work last night and the happy teen promised to treat it with care. Sera had sent a message to Kohza but she admitted that she didn't know when it could reach him as the army was marching to Alubarna. They needed some preparation before they could travel themselves so this was all she could do.

''Looks like our worst suspicions are going to pass, huh?'' Nami asked her friends, thinking back on the meeting.

Sera looked confused. ''What do you mean?''

''Remember how we said we made some plans? That was one possiblity we considered...which means...'' Nami looked at Luffy.

He nodded, his expression determined ''We're going to stop Crocodile.''

''It's come to this in the end...'' Vivi was troubled, this was one thing she hoped wouldn't happen. She knew of Crocodile's strength first hand and so she was well aware how they were looking at a daunting task.

''Please look after Vivi.'' Toto requested.

''Count on it!'' Sanji assured with a smirk.

''Yeah!'' Luffy grinned while the rest of their group nodded.

* * *

Ace stopped the group once they were a short distance from Yuba and began to say farewell...

''You're leaving?!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''Yeah, it's been fun but I have to get back to my mission.'' Ace admitted.

''Aww...''

''Hey, I was glad to see you're doing so well but we've got to take our own paths, you know that.'' Ace reminded. ''Wish I could help but Crocodile and Baroque Works are your fight.''

''Well, yeah but still...'' Luffy could freely admit that he wouldn't want Ace to fight his battles but he didn't want him to leave so soon.

''Come on, don't look at me like that.'' The young man dug in his pocket and gave his brother a piece of a paper.

Vivi's eyes widened ''Isn't that a Vivre Card?''

''Yup.'' Ace returned.

''What's it do?'' Luffy wanted to know.

''It's a way for you to find me again. All you have to do is follow it.''

He perked up ''Cool!''

Ace chuckled back and looked at the others ''I wish you all success. I know Luffy's reckless so I can't help but worry. Please, take care of him for me.''

''Someone has to, it'll have to be us.'' Nami shrugged, smiling.

''Sounds about right.'' Zoro smirked.

Miguel nodded ''Oh and...erm, thanks for last night. I know I didn't make it easy...''

Ace smiled ''Don't worry, it was my idea anyway. Give yourself some credit, you did the best you could. Just keep at it and you'll be fine.''

''What're you guys talking about?'' Chopper wanted to know.

Miguel spared Ace a grateful look before answering ''I'll tell you later...''

Ace began heading to the shore ''Keep getting stronger, Luffy! I think you'll be just fine with this crew, we'll meet again at the top!''

''You bet!'' Luffy called back with a grin.

''You know, your brother really is awesome.'' Usopp told him.

''Right? Ace is the best!'' Luffy beamed. He was looking forward to seeing what they'd be like when they meet again. Just the thought had him excited.

* * *

 _Well, let's stop here._

 _I hope it was good. I really did want to update earlier but I've had to deal with writer's block and so it took some time to put this chapter together. I wanted a way to start dealing with Miguel's phobia, it'd be a gradual process. I intended on having Zoro help there but I figured having Ace do it too would actually work out. Basically, he tried to get him more comfortable around the idea of using fire, like just showing how his powers can actually really help and not hurt. By keeping a careful lid on his powers, they got to finish up with a spar. It's really just a good step forward now._

 _Next chapter is when the action really begins as it'll be the start of their fight against Baroque Works. Thanks for reading so far and I hope you keep it up, till next time!_


	27. Chapter 27

Activity at Alubarna, specifically the palace, was rising at a frenzy as everyone there knew that the Rebel army was on the warpath once more, intending to finish this battle.

Chaka and Pell, the acting captain of the royal guard and Alabasta's strongest warrior respectively, were the leading forces on this front.

''We must prepare the forces. This has to end!'' The first said strongly.

''That's right, we'll...'' Pell started.

''That's enough!''

The strong outcry made them look back at their king, who seemed angry. ''What're you talking about? This isn't the way and you know that!''

''But your majesty, if they take the Palace, they'll seize power and then...!'' Pell started.

''So what if they do?'' King Cobra demanded. ''I could care less about my rule right now. It wouldn't be the end. Our people who define Alabasta, not the Palace or its rulers. My duty as the king is to stand up for those very people and do what is best for them. I'm ashamed of my own weakness and inability to help as much as I would like to-that's what pushed things to this point but I refuse to stoop this low. Alabasta truly would be lost then!''

Both were floored as they took in those words, realizing that it was just another proof of their liege's mettle. It went to show how much Cobra loved the kingdom and everyone in it.

But they could see what he was getting at, if the people endured, the kingdom could carry on. At the end of the day, the Palace was just another building. Their king was looking at the big picture, still remaining loyal to his people above all. That truly was admirable.

The duo bowed to their king, their already high respect of him elevating all the more. ''What would you have us do, sire?'' Chaka asked.

''Carue returned recently, with a letter from Vivi.'' Cobra started, leaving them surprised. ''...She told me everything-knowing the truth about the situation now...it's precisely why we have to do this the right way. What we should be standing up against is the person behind this war.''

As Cobra took the letter out of his pocket to give it to them, his thoughts drifted to his wayward daughter. He prayed for her safety and success, vowing to do all he could do on this front to help.

* * *

That same daughter was on her way to Rainbase with her friends, all looking to stop the mastermind.

With Sera and the others helping them, there was a way to reach the Rebel army but in the end, despite their best efforts they had been too late. The odds of reaching them and getting a chance to talk to Kohza and hopefully stop the war were slim.

Dealing with Baroque works on the other hand...

Yes, it was more than likely a tough fight but that didn't mean it was impossible. Even if the war had been stopped, they still would have had to do something about Crocodile. Him being a Warlord meant the government would simply turn away so in the end, it was up to them.

Vivi hadn't liked this when Nami and Miguel pointed the facts out to her earlier but it helped that they all sat down and talked things through. She knew they were right but a part of her still hated that she couldn't stop the war in time. But as her friends reminded her, it just proved how cunning Crocodile was.

Her thoughts were put into a screeching halt when they ran into some bounty hunters who had somehow gotten desert creatures to fight for them.

Thankfully, the fight quickly turned in their favor. That was when Nami decided to try using new weapon, the Clima-tact. She had read the notes Usopp gave her about it and frankly, she would prefer finding out what it was like sooner than later.

''Let's see...'' She pressed buttons on the staff pieces. ''...Rain Tempo!''

The girl froze when the pieces simply proceeded to spout water into the air. ''...What?''

She missed one of the hunters rushing at her with a sword at the ready but Sanji jumped in and kicked him hard. ''Nami-san, are you all right?'' She nodded and thanked him. ''Anything for you!'' He returned in his usual chivalrous tone.

Sanji blinked ''So what happened...wait, that's the weapon Usopp made for you? A sprinkler?''

Nami more than undestood his incredulousness as it was a feeling she shared. ''Well, there's supposed to be more to it...'' She checked the notes. ''...wait, I thought I messed up before. That's how the attack was supposed to go? What's Usopp playing at?!''

''Seriously, he had better not have been messing around here.'' Sanji scowled. It was only lucky Nami decided to test the weapon now, he didn't want to think of how it could have been worse. This weapon could help save her life, was Usopp taking this seriously?

''Hey, come on.'' Luffy, who had jumped closer to see what they were doing, said. ''Give it another shot, Usopp wouldn't have given you a dud.''

''I guess you've got a point...'' Nami trailed off. ''...all right then...''

She quickly put the staff back together before using it to stun another hunter with a blow to the gut. Luffy and Sanji took down another desert creature, looking back in time to see Nami using the staff as if it were a rifle. Both were baffled when it simply released some flowers.

Nami ground her teeth in anger. She really counted on Usopp and this was what she got? No, this wasn't the time. She had to stay focused, there was a way to take advantage of this.

After a moment of thought, she decided to use another attack she remembered from the notes. Putting the staff together in a T, she watched as a dove flew out of each end of her weapon and ensnared two hunters. The T spun quickly, finally shooting the two with plenty of force.

''Whoa, cool!'' Luffy enthused as Nami stared at the result in shock. ''See, I told you! Usopp knew what he was doing.''

''Of course I did!'' The sniper, who happened to see this two, beamed. ''You should never doubt the great Master Usopp, no one can stand up to my creations!''

Sanji gave him an unimpessed look. Nami could admit that it was actually useful but his bragging along with the close call she had earlier made this especially aggravating. Thus, she proceeded to punch him hard.

''What was that for?!'' Usopp cried.

''What is this supposed to be? I asked you for a weapon. No wonder some of those notes looked weird-it's like you just stuffed it with small tricks!'' She snapped.

''You don't have to say it like that, it worked, didn't it?''

''Just barely!''

''It's innovative! I made the best of what I had. Besides, I gave you those notes for a reason!''

''Your lousy notes couldn't have prepared me for this!'' Nami retorted. Seriously, they hardly explained what the techniques were really like. ''It's less innovative and a whole lot stupid.''

Usopp frowned and grumbled ''Everyone's a critic...''

Her eye twitched before she punched him again ''Shut up!''

Zoro cringed, knowing how hard her punches were ''...Was that necessary?''

She pointed to the two unconscious hunters, who were still entangled with the doves. He blinked ''What the...?''

''That, would be part of what he considers this weapon's best attacks.''

''...Seriously?'' Now he was beginning to see why she was so angry. Usopp's bragging probably made it that much worse. It occured to him that the only reason the weapon worked out this well was that Nami was clever enough to make it happen.

Okay, when he looked at it like that Zoro could admit that Usopp had it coming.

* * *

''Luffy, come on!''

''No way!''

''Just a little!''

''I said no!''

Vivi stared at the arguing Luffy and Usopp curiously up ahead ''What's going on with them?''

''Usopp wants some water and he knows Luffy still has that barrel from yesterday.'' Miguel returned.

''Wait, really?'' Nami looked impressed. She honestly thought Luffy would've finished it long ago.

''Yeah, it took me by surprise too but he's hardly touched it.'' Zoro added. He figured the way they were traveling might have helped. After all, Miguel's lacrima had kept the temperature somewhat tolerable. But the main reason was that Luffy really appreciated Toto's efforts in getting that water so he treated it with extreme care.

''Huh, so he _does_ have restraint after all...''

''It's all right, you two. We're nearly there...I think I can actually see Rainbase now.'' Vivi amended after a moment, her gaze concentrated ahead.

Usopp fixed his googles on and squinted, seeing that there was indeed a town nearby ''Oh yeah! There's going to be water...''

''And food!'' Luffy added brightly before they both took off.

''...What was that about restraint, Nami?'' Zoro drawled.

She sighed ''Yeah shows what I know, doesn't it?''

''Guys, we better follow them.'' Chopper pointed out, they nodded back and everyone hurried ahead.

''I don't see them anywhere...'' Vivi frowned. ''...Tony, can you find their scents?''

Chopper shook his head ''There's way too many people around here...I can pick up a trail, it's faint but I think it's because Luffy and Usopp were in such a rush.''

''Those idiots-what do we now?'' Nami ground out.

* * *

Luffy and Usopp had dashed into a restaurant and seized the chance to get plenty of water.

Just when it seemed that their luck had been turning around, it turned out that it really hadn't. If anything, it might have been going worse.

Why? Because they wound up sitting next to none other than Captain Smoker and Tashigi!

The two marines appeared just as thrown off to see them. Just when the former had recovered from the surprise and reached for his tonfa, both captain and sniper wound up spitting the water they had been drinking in their faces before running off.

Smoker's eye twitched in annoyance before he ran out, intent on not letting them get away.

''Hold it!'' One of the restaurant workers called to Tashigi as she made to go after them. ''You obviously know them. Someone has to pay for the water you all took.''

Tashigi grimaced, paying for Smoker was one thing but those pirates too?

Well, there was no getting out of this...

''Of course.'' She returned. ''How much would that be?''

* * *

The rest of the group had decided to get on with the plan they had agreed on earlier.

After Vivi told them that she learned that Crocodile had Dance Powder in Rainbase, Usopp suggested that they expose this to the marines. This could help cause chaos in the town and spread dissent among the enemy's ranks. After all, it was well known that Crocodile held disdain towards the king to the point that he hadn't ever once had any interactions with the man. It was something that had endeared him to those who had lost faith in Cobra, believing that he understood how they felt.

The plan had been to split up in groups to avoid attracting any attention while being careful to try avoiding as much trouble as possible. But well...thanks to Luffy and Usopp, that was thrown right out the window.

However, it was a good thing they had decided to follow through with the plan after all. As Zoro found out when he wound up getting seperated from Chopper, for their wayward friends had been going as fast as they could to avoid Smoker and other marines who had realized what was going on that they wound up bringing the group's attention on to him.

''Ah, Zoro, the marines are here!'' Luffy exclaimed unnecessarily.

''Gee, thanks Luffy! I completely missed that!'' He retorted sarcastically. Did they have to bring them right this way?

While he wouldn't have much trouble fighting them, the real problem was Smoker and his logia powers. They were lucky to have Ace helping them last time and before that it was Miguel. But without them...

''What were you doing there?'' Usopp wanted to know.

''That's my line! We already agreed on what to do, and it was your idea! What the hell did you bail on us for?!'' Zoro demanded.

''W-well, we were thirsty...''

''And hungry!'' Luffy added.

''Oh, just shut up!'' Zoro returned irritable. When _wasn't_ Luffy hungry?

''Just keep running, we've got to lose them!'' Usopp said at last.

* * *

Vivi blinked when she saw Chopper catching up with them ''Tony? Wasn't Mr. Bushido supposed to be with you?''

''I don't know where he is-we were hurrying up here and then he just vanished.'' The reindeer returned.

''Well, seeing as it's Zoro we're talking about, that probably means one thing.'' Miguel stated flatly.

Sanji groaned ''Yeah, the idiot must have gotten lost again. Why the hell didn't he just stay with his partner?''

''Never mind that now-we've got to focus.'' Nami reminded, looking at the building behind them. ''Vivi, this is the place, right?''

She nodded and Sanji braced himself, lifting a leg while Miguel's hands glowed with magic and Chopper transformed into Heavy Point as the cook called ''All right, let's do this!''

* * *

Many people came to a halt when they heard the sound of an explosion a moment later. Thick smoke arose into the air. When people followed it to the source they were surprised to find a heavily damaged building with no one or nothing nearby to indicate what caused the destruction but what really drew many to a halt was the storage area that held a good amount of Dance Powder.

Now many of them were familiar with the substance, thanks the trouble it brought the country. Which raised a number of questions, why was this here? Why did Crocodile of all people have it?

''Maybe it's a set up?'' One of the people who had been at the casino suggested. ''Crocodile's been getting rid of all the pirates-he made it clear that he thinks the king's a fool. There's no reason he would have this.''

''You say that but he's a pirate too, remember?'' Another person countered. ''And even with all the accusations from that incident, no one found much of any proof that his majesty had anything to do with the Dance Powder.''

''It has to be him, who else would it be?''

''He's done so much to help us-even now, he's all but given us the shirt on his back. This drought's affecting him too just as anyone!'' A third argued.

''Well, I think you're wrong. It's his own fault!''

''Oh, be fair! How can you just turn on him after all he's done for this country? King Cobra is among the best rulers we've had in a long time!''

Vivi felt heartened as she overheard the exchange, glad to know that there were more out there who believed in her father.

At any rate, it looked like the plan had worrked. The marines who had arrived at the scene were currently heading off to question Crocodile about this find. Perhaps people would listen to her if she addressed them now?

The princess stopped herself just as the line of thought struck. As much as she wanted to, it would do no good. She had been away for years and it would take more than to convince the people of the truth. They were close but they had to keep going. Crocodile must be stopped, no matter what.

* * *

The chase eventually lead Luffy, Zoro and Usopp to Rain Dinners. They missed a number of people rushing out around the same time in all the chaos but if they had stuck around longer they would have known those were Baroque Works agents. As it were though, they had no choice but to keep going.

''They're closing in on us!'' Usopp wailed.

''Shut up, this is all your faults!'' Zoro snapped.

The sniper was about to respond when Luffy called out ''Hey, look!'' They had arrived at a long hall that lead to two doors with each one being marked. ''What do those signs say?''

''Eh? Weird...one sign says the room's for VIPs...'' Usopp started.

''What's VIP?'' Luffy blinked.

''It means very important people but that's not the point.'' He said quickly. ''The other sign says pirates.''

''A VIP room? Doesn't this kind of place have drinks for the guests?'' Zoro wondered.

''Why would you ask that now?! Who cares?!'' Usopp snapped.

''Let's just go this way-we're pirates after all!'' Luffy stated, changing directions.

''Oi, wait!''

''Hey, this is fishy no matter how you look at it!''

Zoro and Usopp called but the teen was already heading off so they went after him as he screamed about kicking Crocodile's ass...

* * *

Sanji kicked another Baroque Works agent down. ''...I think that's the last of them... Oh, Nami-san!'' He exclaimed when the girl came around a corner, her Climatact at the ready. ''What's wrong?''

''I can't see Vivi anywhere.'' She admitted, leaving them alarmed. ''I lost track of her in all that chaos when those morons came at us from everywhere. The next thing I knew, she was gone.''

''Oh, no...Vivi-chan!'' Sanji cried. ''What could have happened to her?''

''Wait, I heard a few of those guys were say something about Rain Dinners before...'' Miguel thought back. ''...that's where Crocodile is, right? He's known we're here for a while so even if he has to deal with the consequences of our trick before...''

''Yeah, he could just as easily send his minions to force her there. Vivi didn't have much trouble handling them but with those numbers...they must have trapped her.'' Nami frowned, feeling bad for not keeping a better eye on things. ''Defeating Baroque Works is one thing but Vivi's the one among us who has a shot at getting through to the people and stopping the rebellion.''

''Then we go to Rain Dinners, right? Vivi did say it's like Crocodile's base now.'' Chopper added.

Sanji nodded ''As much as I want to find her right now, I know it can't be easy. The bastard's too smart for that, we better use our heads too. We shouldn't rush into things.'' He glanced at the casino's building that wasn't too far away. ''Though I gotta say, I'd really like to know how he explained the Dance Powder...''

* * *

As it just so happened, that was far from easy.

Crocodile had known the Straw Hats had arrived since he received word of sightings of Luffy and Usopp. He didn't doubt for a second that they had been the ones behind the reveal of the Dance Powder. It had been something he used to raise the tension in the country. The man had actually been thinking of moving the powder to a new place but he never thought that Vivi had actually known about his storage all along.

That could have been bad but he managed to make the marines leave by making up a story about how he wound up finding the Dance Powder with a few of the pirates he defeated. The reputation he'd come to gain during his stay in Alabasta had been useful in that regard. Crocodile suspected that it was really his status as a Warlord as well as the fact that he had captured Smoker, who was the one marine in the area who he highly doubted he could convince. Baroque Works' information network was top notch and that was why Crocodile learned that Smoker had actually come because of the situation in the country. The man had just been so focused on chasing the Straw Hats that he happened to fall right into his trap. He figured the pirates had used the chaos their trick caused to sneak around the city. It was a clever trick, he'd give them that.

But in the end, it didn't matter. His men had even brought Vivi right to him. The princess and her new friends were proving to be a thorn in his side and if things had gone differently, they could have had a chance to reach the rebels and possibly stop them. He was proud to say that he was far above them and he wouldn't let anything get in his way now...he was so close to his goal.

First things first, he thought as he entered a room...

* * *

Usopp wondered how they could get out of this.

The three of them along with Smoker had fallen into a trap. They were currently in a cage made of sea prism stone, a material known to weaken devil fruit users.

''So what the hell brought you here? You couldn't have come to capture us seeing as you had no way of knowing we'd come here.'' Zoro remarked.

Smoker glared at him for a moment but both were distracted when Luffy called out ''CROCODILE! Come on out, I'm gonna kick you ass!''

But all his energy faded when he grabbed the cage's bars, leaving him to groan weakly.

Usopp pulled him back ''We told you, don't grab the bars!''

''...So you're here to deal with Crocodile too.'' Smoker concluded, making the three look at him. ''It's true that we didn't expect you to be here. The situation in Alabasta is suspicious, this civil war kept going worse and it was rather strange for a usually peaceful country. Everything I heard about the royal family proves them to be just and yet there were those who decry them out and about.''

''It really does look fishy when you say it like that but how come no one did anything so far?'' Usopp wanted to know.

Zoro had a good guess ''Crocodile's a Warlord, remember? I heard they get a few perks by working with the government. Guess it was true.''

''Unfortunately so.'' Smoker conceded grudgingly. ''We actually caught one of his followers recently, he mentioned a few strange things when we intercepted his call to Crocodile. They mentioned your crew as well as Princess Vivi, who had left years ago. Everything seems connected to Crocodile and his organization, but as Roronoa said, his status means the government would look away without proof. That's why I decided to get to the bottom of this.''

''Well, you sure didn't do much about that. It's your fault that we fell in here!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''This, coming from the one who ran right into the suspicious area? What did you think would happen when you went screaming about defeating that bastard?'' Smoker retorted. ''Either way, it looks like Crocodile knew what I was planning. As they say: once a pirate, always a pirate.''

Put like that, it made Zoro wonder why the government employed the Warlord system but the man they had quickly guessed to be Crocodile arrived before he could voice the thought.

''Well, well, look who we have here.'' He smirked.

''Crocodile! I'm gonna kick your ass!'' Luffy declared.

''Oh? And how are you going to do that when you're locked up?'' The man sneered back. He was followed shortly by Miss All Sunday, who was holding none other than...

''Vivi!'' Luffy and Usopp exclaimed, surprised. The princess looked just as alarmed to see them there.

''Now everyone's here.'' Crocodile stated, looking at the girl then as Miss All Sunday stepped back after releasing her. ''I underestimated you, Princess Vivi. You proved to be a thorn in my side but it proves you've learnt quite a bit from Baroque Works.''

She glowered back at him ''You have no idea what I'd do to see you pay for all this. I wish you died in your cradle, you monster!''

''You don't say?'' Crocodile drawled. ''Soon your beloved country will fall and my ultimate plan will be fulfilled. Soon, Alabasta will be no more. But you don't need to worry about that, you and your friends are going to die soon.''

As much as Vivi wanted to attack him here, she knew it wouldn't do any good. What was worse, she had lost the lacrima intended to target his weakness in the struggle earlier. At the moment, the girl wanted nothing more than to make this man suffer and she hated her own powerlessness to do so.

And then there were her friends...was there anything she could do to help them?

''Mr. 0, it's time.'' She heard Miss All Sunday inform nearby.

''Ah, I suppose we've wasted enough time here.'' He acknowledged. ''Very well, The final phases of Operation Utopia will begin! Everything for the past three years has been for this moment, I procured the Dance Powder, unleashed the sandstoms on many places like Yuba.'' A malicious glint entered his eyes upon noticing how Vivi and Luffy appeared outraged at this. ''Ah, I suppose you would've seen it then? It's a wonder they haven't died yet. The foolish rebels believe they will save the country but it's their own passion that will destroy it.''

Vivi couldn't take anymore ''How could you...how could you be so cruel?!''

''My goals are far beyond your understanding. It's the final step to my victory.'' Crocodile glanced back at the cage. ''Now to deal with you...'' a hatch opened in the wall, they could soon see a few eyes glowing in the dark area before a number of Bananawani crawled out. Usopp recoiled with a fearful cry and the man smirked ''...how pitiful. You thought you could stop me? You never stood a chance.''

''You're wrong! Let me out of here and I'll show you!'' Luffy retorted.

Smoker's eyes narrowed when he noticed water flowing in the room from the hatch. Crocodile then went on ''This room will disappear in less than an hour. I do have the key to your cage but...ah...'' He trailed off as the key fell and one of the Bananwani ate it. ''...looks like it slipped.''

''Liar!'' Luffy snapped. ''Vivi, get us out here and we'll show him!''

''Are you crazy? She can't deal with those things!'' Usopp scolded.

''There's got to be something...'' Zoro scowled as another of his attempts to cut the cage failed. ''...it's no good. This is too hard.''

''Well...''

The three started at the sound of ringing, which they realized was coming from Crocodile's Den Den Mushi. The man looked irritated as he picked up...

* * *

Sanji allowed himself a smirk as he spoke ''Hello, this is the crap cafe.''

 _''What? Wait a minute, you...!''_ Crocodile clearly recognized his voice from that time when they were in Little Garden. _''Who the hell are you?!''_

''Ah, so you remember me? Well, isn't that nice. Call me...Mr. Prince.'' He decided.

''SAVE US, MR. PRINCE!'' came Luffy and Usopp's voices. Sanji's eye twitched, so they had been right and the idiots got themselves in trouble. No wonder Chopper had found a trace of their scent earlier.

He found it odd that Crocodile hadn't responded given how angry he seemed to be but he soon realized why when the door to Rain Dinners opened and the Warlord came out.

His smirk widened when he spotted a pair of spheres landing near Crocodile before they released two blasts of water, leaving the man stunned. Sanji landed before the Warlord and unleashed a few blistering kicks that sent him crashing into a wall.

* * *

''What do we do now?!'' Usopp wailed as the Banawani came closer and closer to the cage.

''I'll...I'll find some help-the others must be nearby and...'' Vivi gasped when another of the reptiles blocked her path.

''Vivi!'' Luffy cried.

''Oi, be careful!'' Zoro warned.

The girl took a step back, wondering how to get past this. But it turned out she didn't have to worry-for a moment later, all the Banawani were blasted by golden rays of starlight that came from the room's entrance.

Vivi couldn't help the smile on her face as she as well as her friends, recognized the spell. They looked over to find that Miguel had arrived.

''Miguel!'' Luffy and Usopp called out happily.

He smiled in return before raising a hand, a red spell circle appeared beneath the cage before it levitated. Slowly but surely, the gravity magic wrenched the cage bars enough for them to let them out. Smoker jumped down with ease while Luffy and Zoro helped Usopp land.

''So that's what happened-quite the ploy there.''

Everyone stared at the voice and saw Miss All-Sunday make her presence known. ''I wondered why only a few of you would be facing our boss. There's certainly more to your crew than meets the eye. But we can't have you interfere now.''

Zoro put a hand on his swords as Usopp fingered his slingshot but both froze when she created arms on Miguel's torso in response. ''It's just like last time...'' The first grit his teeth. What sort of power was this?

''Stop that!'' Luffy snapped as the arms closed in.

Contrary to their expectations, Miguel appeared calm. And they began to realize why when his body was surrounded with a golden aura that seemed to sting Miss All Sunday and consequently made her release him.

''I think you've got that backwards. We're not about to let you win.'' He stated.

''You're far more dangerous than I thought. I assume you're the reason the other three could pull that trick.'' Miss All Sunday remarked.

''You're awfully calm there, think you can take us on?'' Zoro demanded.

''I don't need to.'' Before anyone could make sense of that comment, she stepped back outside and the room's door closed.

''Whoa, hey! We've gotta get out of here!'' Usopp exclaimed.

''Do you know what they're planning?'' The sudden question made everyone look at Smoker. ''That woman-Crocodile's partner has had a bounty of 79 million for years.''

''That's almost as much as Crocodile himself...how'd that happen?'' Zoro asked. 'Miss All Sunday' was of course a codename but even Vivi had admitted that she had little luck finding much of any information about her.

Smoker seemed to choose to ignore the question ''You really don't seem to have much of an idea about what you're dealing with here. People like them would be making big plans, especially considering she's involved in this.''

Miguel frowned, he already knew Miss All Sunday was dangerous to say the least but from Smoker's wording...there was more to her than it appears. Which left him to wonder, just who was she?

''We have to go!'' Usopp reminded.

Miguel started ''Right...''

''Hey, guys?'' They turned to Luffy, who was staring at a big white sphere nearby. ''What do you think this is? It rolled out of one of those funny gators' mouths.''

''That's strange but we don't have time...'' Vivi almost jumped back in surprise when the sphere suddenly began to crack. In seconds, it fell apart, revealing someone inside. It was in fact ''...Mr. 3?!''

* * *

''Sanji-kun!'' Nami ran to the cook, who was leaning against a building, breathing heavily. ''What happened? We lost track of you after we released the second lacrima.''

''Are you okay?'' Chopper added.

''Y-yeah, just give me a minute...'' He returned. ''...the bastard's damn tough. He has some ability that let him dry a lot of stuff around us. I held him off but he was clearly rushing to get to Alubarna, I barely got to avoid a serious injury. I'm really glad we had those lacrima, he might have had a field day otherwise.''

She frowned ''...No matter you look at it, that creep's got the advantage. He can make the maximum use of his powers in the desert.''

''We shouldn't worry about that, least of all now. What about the others?'' Chopper reminded.

''Let's go and find them. We're running out of time, looks like Crocodile and the agents are heading out.'' Sanji stated. ''Chopper, we'll handle this part. Think you can help us find a way to get us moving on the double?''

''I'm on it!'' The reindeer returned.

* * *

When the three reached Rain Dinners, it was to find that one wall had crumbled while a good part of the area had a lot of water. But there was no sign of their friends anywhere.

''Hey!''

Sanji and Nami looked up at Usopp's voice, seeing him with Vivi, Miguel and Zoro floating above the air. The strange part was that Usopp was holding a dazed Luffy up while Zoro was hauling none other than Smoker.

Miguel dispelled the gravity magic, allowing them to land. It was just then that they noticed someone else who had been floating at a distance from them.

''Is that Mr. 3?'' Nami stared.

''And Smoker?'' Sanji blinked. ''What's going on here?''

Vivi explained how Crocodile had them trapped and talked about his plan. They weren't quite sure how but Mr. 3 had wound up inside wound up inside one of the Bananawani and they happened to discover this by chance. Deciding to do something to prove himself to Crocodile, Mr. 3 had activated a hidden mechanism that made much water fall. Thus, Miguel had reacted fast, making them float with gravity magic before blasting a hole in the building to help them get away with Pleaides.

''So that's it...and you helped them?'' Sanji cocked his head.

''Why would you do that? Both of you?'' He added, remembering that Zoro had hauled him up shortly after the water almost flooded the room.

''It's captain's orders, idiot.'' Zoro said flatly.

''I wanted to.'' was all Miguel had to say to that.

''...Hmph, kindness to your enemies may get you killed.'' Smoker scoffed.

''Who can say? I decided long ago that I'll stay true to myself. I don't want to have any regrets.'' The quartermaster returned. He didn't care much for the marines in general but that didn't mean he could just leave one to die. It was a case of doing what he believed was for the best, that was all.

The captain grunted and turned his back to them ''Go.'' The group looked on in surprise. ''You saved me so I'll let you off. This is all I can do anyway since Crocodile was smart enough to cover his tracks from the government. You're the only ones who can do save the people from him.''

Luffy began to grin ''You're not such a bad guy, Smokey!''

''Get going!'' He retorted.

''All right, come on!'' The rubber teen called out to his friends.

* * *

Fortunately, Chopper had been able to find them a ride with a little help from Eyelash the camel. The moving crab, who he had names Scissors, had agreed to take them up to the capital.

Just as they had been gaining speed, Scissors was almost thrown off by a sudden force that seemed come from their left. The crab barely managed to regain its balance, though everyone was clearly rattled.

''What just happened?!'' Sanji cried.

''It came from over there!'' Usopp pointed over and they saw a man clad in a jumpsuit as as well as armor covering his shoulders, arms and legs rushing over. A second later, Scissors backed off just in time to avoid another blast of force and the assailant jumped up high, a scimitar at the ready.

His blade was met by Miguel's, who had flown up with Meteor to intercept him in time. Both landed a bit of distance away from Scissors while the others looked on.

''Miguel!'' Chopper cried.

''Don't stop now!'' He returned. ''We don't have time for this, keep going. I'll catch up!''

Vivi looked worried while Nami grimaced but she called out ''Yeah, you better show up or else I'll fine you big time, you hear me?''

''And I'll be making sure you pay when we spar.'' Zoro added.

He looked amused ''Well, we can't have that now. You've got a deal, guys.''

''Yeah, beat this guy!'' Luffy called.

Miguel nodded, seeing them begin to head off then. His adversary then called ''You think I'll let you...?''

He was forcefully stopped when Miguel requipped his wind sword, which had caused a forceful gale that almost threw him off then. The man let out a breath at this ''I'd hoped to stop more of you at least but there's no helping it...you're going to be sorry you interfered, kid.''

Miguel leveled his sword as he braced himself for the upcoming battle ''We'll see about that.''

* * *

 _Well, let's stop here._

 _I hope it was good. This chapter gave me some trouble for a while but funnily enough, I was able to finish it in less than two days when I gave it another go later. I guess, inspiration struck or something..._

 _Anywho, I had to think of how to handle things with the changes I put together so I wasn't sure what to do. The next chapter starts when they run into Crocodile, which is shortly after this. Oh and to clarify Miguel's opponent isn't a wizard, I was looking through the one piece wikia when I remembered a specific power that would make what he did here possible. But more on that next time._

 _Well, thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	28. Chapter 28

_beenjammin0421: Thanks, I don't know how I messed up like that._

 _Rider126: Oh, thanks. To answer your question...well, to be honest, giving Miguel a lightning sword just slipped my mind._

 _anzafay21: Thanks a lot!_

* * *

Zoro's eyes narrowed as their ride kept moving forward. They might be approaching their destination but he did not like the way they had do it. He was sure the others would agree.

After Miguel fended off the man who tried to ambush them, the group wound up running into Crocodile. Luffy took matters into his hands, deciding to face the Warlord alone. They didn't like it one bit but the crab had already been hurrying when the rubber teen made that call. Knowing him, Zoro would not be surprised if Luffy had done it on purpose to leave them with little room to act.

He grimaced as he thought to both the captain and quartermaster's promises to catch up to them. They had better fulfill said promises or he would make sure to kick their asses.

* * *

Miguel found that his opponent was not only skilled but also fast, very fast. It was this speed that allowed him to set traps throughout a wide margin. He could only hope that his friends hadn't run into any of them.

How was doing it though? He'd heard of magic that gave a speed boost but it was pretty different from this. So maybe, a devil fruit?

His opponent picked up a clump of sand and hurled it at him, the sand's speed multiplied as it was launched, making it almost seem like a hail. Miguel dispersed it with his wind sword and attacked, his blade colliding with the attacker's scythe.

''You're not half-bad.'' The man smirked. ''According to Miss All Sunday's info, you're the Arcadia boy, right? I can definitely see a resemblance...'' Miguel blinked. ''...when you've been in the mercenary buisness for as long as I have you find it's best to collect info. Your parents sure made a name for themselves after all, no surprise people would've heard of them if you just know where to look.''

Miguel figured it wasn't too surprising, seeing how far his parents had traveled ''...I don't get it. We've come to know a bunch about the agents but nothing about you. You're definitely a lot better than the grunts we had to deal with before.''

''Oh, those guys? Yeah, I almost forgot that princess has been spying on Baroque Works.'' The man nodded. ''The name's Zeke, and you're right in thinking that I'm nothing like those morons. I'm more of a new addition to the organization. I met the Boss by chance and he liked my skills enough to make a contract at first but he wound up recruiting me. I don't really care about ranks so I don't know where I stand, I just do what I have to.''

He brandished his scythe before adding ''You guys sure were idiots to get into this, you don't stand a chance against Baroque Works.''

''I hate to break it to you, but judging by our track record, we're doing pretty good so far.'' Miguel retorted.

''Fair enough.'' Zeke conceded. ''But your lucky streak ends today!''

* * *

Luffy grit his teeth, he knew Crocodile was tough but this was ridiculous!

It was just like dealing with Smoker, nothing he did was any help. Luffy was really glad for Vivi's warning about the Warlord as it had helped him adapt. But still, this was so annoying...

The real problem was that going by what Sanji told them, even using water wouldn't help much in the end. Crocodile had been fooled in their earlier clash when Sanji used his own lacrima but he had some way of getting rid of water with his powers. Luffy remembered the water lacrima he had been given but knew he had better be creative with their use.

''You really are wasting my time, Straw Hat. You're a fool if you think you can win.'' Crocodile sneered. ''Perhaps another demonstration of my power would prove my point. Let's say over...Yuba?''

Luffy froze, immediately thinking of Toto. What was the bastard going to do?!

* * *

The remaining Frontier agents had gathered at Alubarna's entrance, intending on heading the Straw Hats off. They had been using binoculars to keep track of the group as they came closer. Just as the agents braced themselves to intercept the crew, their vision was partially blocked by a dust cloud, though they could barely see the Straw Hats head off in different directions while a winged figure headed to the city.

It was in fact, Pell, who had decided to intervene upon seeing how the agents gathered here. Since Vivi's letter to Cobra came with descriptions of the agents and her own plan to return, it wasn't hard to guess what they were up to. His eyes narrowed as he watched them disperse after the crew, hoping his attempt at a distraction had helped.

Shortly afterwards, a glimpse of familiar light blue hair told him that it had.

''Pell!'' Vivi exclaimed in surprise when he landed before her.

Alabasta's strongest warrior smiled warmly ''Hello, Princess. It's been too long, we knew you'd come home.''

She couldn't help but smile back ''Thank you. I have so much I want to tell you all but this isn't the time. Pell, two of my friends stayed behind to face Crocodile and another of the members. I'll go to the Palace and stop the rebellion.''

''On your own? Princess, that's...''

''I know, I know it's dangerous but my friends are putting themselves at even worse danger for this. I can handle it!'' Vivi said firmly. ''I trust that Luffy and Miguel will be fine but can you please help them?''

Pell relented, knowing from her tone that she wouldn't back down. Though, he was admittedly alarmed to learn that one of her friends was on his own against Crocodile. No wonder she was worried. They owed this group who had ensured their princess' return, so Pell believed that this was the least he could do.

''Very well, leave it to me.''

* * *

Usopp had wound up getting seperated from Sanji and Chopper in all the chaos of the battlefield and he could only wonder where the cook and doctor were.

He cringed upon taking in the sights around them. Alubarna must have been a lovely place but look at what things had come to. Did the rebels truly believe that they were in the right to take things so far? This was so messed up. He couldn't imagine how Vivi must feel at seeing the capital in such a deplorable state.

The sound of an explosion not too far away made him start before he looked over, leveling his goggles before he gasped at the sight of Chopper on the ground before seeing two figures closing in on the little doctor. Without giving it much thought, an alarmed Usopp hurried over.

Crocodile made to launch a sandstorm on Yuba. His tone making it clear that it was far from the first time left Luffy incensed and more than willing to attack for this. Now he knew just why places like Yuba and Erumalu were so ravaged, the bastard was just getting a kick of unleashing those damn sandstorms on them!

''You lousy little...stop!'' He snapped. ''That dried up old man didn't do anything to you, leave him alone!''

Crocodile sneered ''I would say to try and make me but you can't. You're just wasting my time, Straw Hat!''

''Oh yeah?!'' Luffy spluttered when the man released a big wave of sand that began to surround him.

Wait, Crocodile couldn't see him in this, so maybe...

The Warlord was about to unleash more sand to grab his enemy when suddenly, a burst of water washed all the sand away. He grimaced as some of the water reached him, suddenly reminded him of the short battle earlier at Rainbase and somehow, that blond Straw Hat also used water out of the blue.

Luffy jumped up ''Gum Gum Gatling!''

* * *

Shortly after being seperated from his friends due to all the chaos in Alubarna, Chopper had been cornered by Mr. 4 and his partner Miss Merry Christmas. To say it was going badly would be an understatement, both had some strange abilities that threw the little doctor for a loop.

Mr. 4's odd dog somehow spat exploding baseballs which the man could bat with relative ease. Chopper could see the damage that bat caused on its own, which proved how heavy it was. While he tried to avoid the man's blows, there was still his partner.

Miss Merry Christmas was some kind of zoan like him, but he couldn't be sure just what she transformed into. She could dig around and move underground a lot and it made things real confusing. Fortunately, things began to better when Usopp arrived to help him. The battle was still rough but Chopper felt that they had more of a chance together.

Usopp pelted their enemies with some well-placed shots before asking ''...Okay, just wondering-I get that the old lady's a zoan but what kind of an animal is that supposed to be? A penguin?''

''No idea.'' Chopper shrugged helplessly, eyeing Miss Merry Christmas again. ''...It doesn't really look like a penguin though.''

''That's because I'm not, you morons!'' She snapped shrilly. ''Isn't it obvious? I'm a Mole Woman!''

''Mole?'' The duo exchanged baffled looks.

''...I can't see it.'' Chopper said after a moment.

''I...guess I can...I mean if you look at it from a certain angle.'' Usopp yelped when Mr. 4's bat almost hit him and immediately ducked to avoid it.

Chopper stiffened upon seeing one of the exploding baseballs nearby. Thinking fast, the reindeer used his Arm Point to try and pick them up so he could throw them back at the agents. He immediately found that he couldn't, he could hardly lift the things in the first place!

Usopp noticed the timer, which prompted him to cry out ''Chopper, turn small!'' The reindeer blinked. ''Trust me!''

Once he turned back to his Brain Point, Usopp quickly picked his friend up and hurried away just as the bomb went off. The explosion sent them flying back and crashing into the ground.

Chopper pulled himself, cringing. He knew that could've done much, much worse which prompted him to say ''Thanks, Usopp!''

''No problem. What happened back there?'' The sniper demanded.

''Those balls are a lot heavier than they looked, I could hardly lift them!''

Usopp blinked, but before Miss Merry Christmas spoke up before he could respond ''Aren't you fools relaxed? You never stood a chance against us. Is this denial?''

''You wish, lady! Don't count us out just yet!'' Usopp retorted.

''Yeah!'' Chopper agreed.

''Hah, fools. Try this, Mogura Banana!''

She moved fast, striking both pirates in rapid succession. Upon seeing her coming back for another attack, Chopper turned back to Arm Point before pulling Usopp out of her path.

She grinned ''We're just getting started, brats.''

As Mr. 4 gave a slow laugh, the two pirates prepared to continue the battle.

* * *

In the midst of it all, Vivi ran into another familiar face...

''Carue!''

Her duck's eyes curved as he ran to her, kneeling so she could get on his back. The princess quickly did just that ''How...did Pell tell you I was here?''

Carue nodded before pointing at the bandage that hid the X mark they shared with the Straw Hat pirates on his wing. The duck then gestured with said wing to another area of the city. Vivi could easily guess what he wanted to say, especially since they had been together for this long.

''Yes...our friends are out there, doing all they can...We can't fail here. Come on! To the palace!''

Needing no further prompting, Carue sped off deeper into the streets of the city. It was hard to get through with all the battle between the royal army and the rebels but they were managing to a point. Carue had even shifted so that he would take a blow for Vivi when one of the rebels almost hurt her in the chaos, but he kept going. His species, the Super Sonic Duck were the fastest in all of Alabasta, so he would do his absolute best to ensure Vivi's safe arrival. The princess was the one with the best chance to stop the rebellion. As always, no matter how hard or how scary he found the situation, Carue would stand by her.

''Thank you...'' Vivi trailed off, she knew Carue had to be in pain but he was still pushing himself to keep going. She vowed to make it up to him somehow later.

Her thoughts were cut off when her partner suddenly stopped shortly as they neared the palace. She blinked, noticing that Carue was staring ahead, his eyes wide. ''...what's wrong?''

Following the duck's line of sight, she suddenly understood why he froze up.

For there, running ahead through the battlefield and also heading towards the palace, was Kohza.

* * *

Zeke increased his speed fiftyfold before charging in to attack Miguel. The latter cast Meteor before the two clashed, exchanging and fending off attacks. Miguel was forced on the defensive due to his opponent's superior speed despite the boost he himself gained from Meteor. But he managed to get some strikes in before Zeke was able to launch a powerful kick that threw him to the ground.

The latter quickly leveled a rifle while his opponent was down and poised to shoot, only for Miguel to roll to the side to dodge.

''Gotta admit, you're a pretty resilient kid.'' Zeke smirked, enjoying himself. ''What, not going to ask about my powers?''

''Would it make a difference if I did?'' Miguel returned. ''I would've been able to sense it if that was magic so for all I it could be a devil fruit that lets you boost speed.''

''Heh, got it in one.'' The man admitted. ''Plenty faster than a whole lot of the people I fought too. Yeah, I ate the More More no mi. And just like you figured, it allows me to control either my own speed or of things around me. Here's another demonstration!''

He hurled the scythe at Miguel, keeping a handle on the chain it was bound to. When Miguel quickly dodged, Zeke pulled the weapon back and boosted its speed further before throwing it again. As he expected, the wizard was caught off guard by the increase and the scythe slashed his side as a result.

Zeke rushed forward, only to be surprised when Miguel gathered himself and cast Gravity magic around his opponent, the force of which propelled the sand around him upwards. The man cringed as some of it was launched into his face, immediately trying to shield it. It was far from easy though as Miguel proceeded to cast Gale Maw. The strong winds pushed Zeke back while raising sand that almost blinded him. Wasting no time, Miguel kept up the offense by unleashing a Tempest Arc that knocked Zeke down.

''I'm not done yet.'' He stated, leveling his sword at the mercenary, who cracked a smirk once again as he replied.

''Looks that way.''

* * *

Miss Merry Christmas gave a shrill laugh as another of her and her partner's attacks sent Usopp and Chopper down ''Weaklings! You really thought you could defeat Baroque Works? How sad...''

''Shut up, you jerks!'' The latter retorted. ''We're not going to lose!''

Usopp wished he could have the little reindeer's confidence. Those agents looked ridiculous in his opinion but they were certainly strong. They even had some nasty combination attacks and it was only by chance that they avoided the worst of their Molehill Intersection 4 attack. It looked like the battle was just getting harder.

A big part of him was really too scared to continue but he knew they couldn't leave things like this. If it were up to him, he'd take Chopper and leave but their opponents certainly wouldn't let that happen. What could they do to win though? Did they have a chance?

Miss Merry Christmas' next words served to drive any of the sniper's negative thoughts far out of his mind.

''Oh, please.'' She scoffed. ''This is pathetic. You're so weak you don't even know. Same goes for that captain of yours. Thinking he had a chance against the boss? As if!'' A mocking grin settled on her face. ''It's this ridiculous attitude that's gotten him killed after all.''

Both Straw Hats stilled at this. What did she just say...? Luffy...

''Liars!'' Chopper snapped. ''No way, Luffy can't be dead!''

''So you think.'' She retorted. ''It's the truth, you never had a chance against us. I guess it's bound for a naive fool to gather others like him. He thinks he can be the King of All Pirates? Him? _Please,_ like that would happen. The fact that he even believed that just proves me right! It's just as well that pathetic boy died right now!'' The woman proceeded to laugh along with her partner.

And that was what did it for Usopp...

Everyone watched as he leveled his slingshot and fired at Miss Merry Christmas, who tried to dodge. Eventually, she realized that Usopp had cornered her against a wall and from that point on, he didn't miss once.

''You little brat! I'll show you!'' She growled, brandishing her claws.

''Listen, Chopper...!'' He cried out.

The reindeer made to hurry over as Mr. 4 closed in on his friend ''Look out!''

But it was too late, Mr. 4 slammed his heavy bat on the sniper, sending him flying. Miss Merry Christmas grinned ''Good job, Mr. 4! We've as good as won...''

Usopp surprised them all by getting up moments later, glowering at the agents. ''...For a man...there comes a time when he has to fight...''

''Ha! Coming from someone who was so close to running away before, that's rich, you coward!'' Miss Merry Christmas taunted.

''Shut up! Usopp isn't...Usopp isn't a coward!'' Chopper snapped.

The sniper's body shook from the pain but he pressed on, his determination remaining firm even as the agents were on the offense again. ''...e-even if he's about to die...faced...by fierce enemies...''

''It's time for you to die, Long Nose!'' Miss Merry Christmas declared.

''That time is...when a friend's dreams are being laughed at!'' Usopp finished.

''Mogurazaka Molehill Highway!''

Chopper was confused when Usopp merely held up a blackboard and quietly told him to cover his ears. Trusting his friend, the reindeer quickly did so.

''Usopp Noise!'' He cried out, then scratching his nails against the item. Mr. 4 recoiled slowly while Lassoo flinched at the sharp sound.

However, the little doctor realized Usopp's true aim when he noticed how Miss Merry Christmas cried out in pain.

So that was why...

The reindeer thought back to the talk they had to learn about their enemies before coming here. Vivi didn't know much about this form but she had been certain that a zoan's weaknesses applied to her. Thus, Miss Merry Christmas' senses were enhanced, so that had to be causing her a whole lot of pain.

Did Usopp really think of something like that even when he was battered? That was impressive.

And clearly the sniper wasn't done.

''Smoke Star!''

Usopp unleashed a couple of small pellets that covered the area with thick smoke. He gestured to Chopper, hitting his fist on the palm of his open hand. Chopper nodded back in understanding and assumed his Arm Point before slamming her with Koutei Roseo.

This left her stunned so Usopp hefted her up and did her best to imitate her shrill voice before calling out ''Mr. 4, they tried to trick me but I saw through them! Come on, I'm holding the Long Nose! Get him!''

Mr. 4 fell for it, immediately preparing his weapon to strike. Miss Merry Christmas began to recover as the bat loomed closer, blanching. She tried to tell her partner to stop but it was no good. The bat hit hard, sending her flying. Mr. 4's eyes widened as he slowly recoiled once realizing his mistake.

''Chopper, follow my lead!''

''Right!''

The man started at the pirates' voices, seeing Usopp aiming a rubber band that held a hammer. Using Chopper's horns as a slingshot, Usopp fired the hammer. It hit Mr. 4 in the gut, the item's sheer speed launched him into his partners. As a result, they crashed into a pile of rubble.

The area where they landed was near a few of Lassoo's remaining explosives, which blew up moments later. The resulting explosion raised a big dust cloud. It soon cleared, revealing the agents and their partner all down and out cold.

''W-We...we won!'' Chopper cheered. ''We did it! You were awesome, Usopp!''

Normally the sniper would've preened like a peacock at the praise but as it were. He could only laugh weakly as all the adrenaline from the fight wear off and the pain of his injuries overwhelmed him, leaving him fall back.

''Ahh!'' Chopper hurried over to him, panicking. ''Hold on, I'll get you a doctor!''

Usopp responded by pointing a finger at him, making the reindeer blink.

''...Oh, right. What am I thinking, that's me.'' Chopper shook himself. ''I'll fix you up, it'll be okay!''

* * *

Kohza stopped and stared as he saw who else had arrived at the palace as he made his way through. He hadn't seen her in years but it had to be...''V-Vivi?''

The princess' fists clenched ''I didn't want to believe when it turned out you were the leader of the rebellion...'' All the frustration, sadness and helplesness she felt over the situation in her country almost overwhelmed her at that moment. ''...Kohza, why would you do all this?! Do you really think this is the way to go about for the sake of Alabasta?''

He bristled ''What's that supposed to mean? I want to save our country!''

''Save it?! What you're doing could help _destroy_ it!'' She fired back. ''You know me and my father, do you really think we'd sink so low as to leave everyone to suffer while only looking out for ourselves? Do you have any idea how much we hated that there is so little we could do to end the people's suffering?''

Kohza tried to argue but Vivi wasn't about to let up now. ''Sera's message should have reached you, I told her everything! You're all being tricked. Why...?''

The words died in her mouth when she noticed a guard sneaking up on Kohza with a sword at the ready. She had noticed that most of the royal army was facing the rebels while the remnants were defending the palace. Which meant this person had to be...

Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the beginning of a familiar tattoo on the same area as the ones who had tried to ambush her and her friends in the desert.

Vivi swiftly prepared her chakrams and attacked, disarming him with ease before knocking him out. She glanced back at Kohza, who was clearly taken aback at all this. Frankly, a part of her really wanted to keep telling him off but she knew it wouldn't help now.

She moved a part of the attacker's arm guard, revealing the mark of Baroque Works. ''I left to find out the truth behind the instigator of all the trouble in our country. I don't know how much you learned but an organization has been stirring up the war to destroy Alabasta. This is their mark. We believe there have been infiltrators in both armies to keep this plan going. My friends and I want to stop them.''

''W-wait, Sera did say something about that...'' Kohza recalled. He hadn't been sure what to think of that message. Half of him was convinced it was a hoax in an attempt to stop the rebellion and Sera was tricked but...

''...I'll tell you the truth.'' Vivi stated. ''Or have you lost any semblance of trust in me as well?''

''...No.'' Kohza returned, much to her relief. Perhaps he had been looking at this all wrong. Vivi had always loved Alabasta for as long as he'd known her. Hell, she had saved him now when she had little reason to. The least he could do was listen. ''I'll hear you out.''

* * *

 _Well, let's stop here._

 _I thought à lot about what to do at this point. Then I remembered that 3d2y movie and I figured since I wasn't going to use it anyway, I might as well apply the devil fruit that was introduced there. The next chapter carries on from here where I'll be finishing more of the fights. I just didn't add much about Luffy's first fight with Crocodile because it isn't too far from canon. But you'll see what happens with him soon. I hope Vivi isn't too Ooc or anything. I just added the last part because frankly, I felt that she was perfectly with in her rights to be upset with Kohza._

 _Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


	29. Chapter 29

Sanji scowled as he kept running through Alubarna's streets. He hadn't run into any of the Frontie agents yet but he found something just as troublesome.

The cook had stumbled across an unconscious soldier from the Royal army. It hadn't taken him long to notice the Baroque Works symbol visible thanks to his damaged armor. Given what they had dealt with near Yuba, it wasn't as much of a surprise as it was worrying. Just how much had Baroque Works infiltrated both armies anyway?

All of this made Sanji wonder what else Crocodile up his sleeve. He really hoped the girls were all right...and _maybe_ the boys too, he supposed. Those fools had better not mess things up. They had to do all they could for Vivi.

The blond stopped in surprise, seeing a familiar figure nearby ''Usopp?''

The sniper turned, perking up ''Oh, Sanji! Good to see you!''

''I thought you said you saw Chopper before-where is he?''

''Oh, don't worry about a thing. He's fine, I just happened to notice you coming so I rushed ahead. We can't let anything stop us here, can we?'' was his response. ''I say let's go!''

''Hmm...'' Something about the sniper's attitude was rubbing Sanji the wrong way. ''...sure, sure. First things first though, we better go with Mosshead's plan.'' Usopp blinked, seeing him tap his right bicep then before pushing his sleeve to remove the bandages tied there.

''Oh...oh, yeah!'' He held up his arm, pausing when Sanji removed the bandages to reveal the X shaped mark on his own arm. The sight of it made him stiffen a little, something Sanji immediately noticed.

''Well, what're you waiting for?''

He blinked ''Ah, don't sweat the small stuff, we're just wasting time now.''

Sanji's eye narrowed ''Is that right...?''

Usopp grinned ''Come on, let's go.''

The blond's response was to kick him hard, sending him flying. Usopp spluttered as he pulled himself up, looking incredulous ''What was that for?!''

''Just cut the crap already.'' Sanji stated. ''We're on to you...Mr. 2.''

After a moment, the man tapped the side of his face, reverting to his usual flamboyant self. ''You knew? Then again those marks took me by surprise...oh, well I don't need the disguise to win!''

And so the battle got underway. Sanji quickly discovered that his opponent was like him in that he employed a fighting style that centered around kicks.

For all his silliness, there was no denying that Bon Clay was certainly strong. Sanji thought as he noted how the agent's kick shattered some rocks nearby.

Well, he definitely wouldn't lose here!

* * *

Zeke quickly picked up on Miguel's healing ability ''Well, how about that...? You really are the most resourceful one in your crew. And it's not just because of your magic-I definitely wound up with the right opponent!''

The man attacked once more, swinging his scythe. Miguel blocked it with his sword before quickly grabbing the sheath and ramming him in the gut, leaving him to recoil. Miguel quickly followed this with a Flicker Strike that cut Zeke's shoulder just as the man was about to pull himself up.

Their weapons clashed once again as they attacked, Zeke then spoke ''You're actually tougher than plenty of my opponents, a whole lot of them never even lasted this long. But it ends here!''

''Don't count me out just yet.'' Miguel retorted, defiance clear in his face.

The mercenary smirked, increasing his speed fiftyfold before charging. Miguel was able to block the first few strikes with Ark Shield, only for Zeke to blindside him with a kick and send him flying with the next punch. The former was able to recover his balance before he hit the ground, landing safely then.

Miguel had made a promise to his friends and he had every intention of keeping it. He would do everything he could to prevent Baroque Works running roughshod over this country like the Marines had done to Elysia. He could imagine how terrible Vivi must feel at this turn of events, but that was all the more reason to do all he could to help. Everyone was fighting out there too, he would be sure to do his part.

Since he had a good idea of the scope of Zeke's abilities, Miguel realized he could get around them well enough. He wasn't sure if this would work but it wasn't the time to hesitate...

Zeke boosted his speed again before attacking, only to be surprised when Miguel requipped his water sword before unleashing a big blast of water at him. He was easily able to tear through it with his increased agility, though the strike made him miss. The worst that move did was that the mercenary was drenched but it really didn't make much of a difference to him.

Just as he had been wondering what the point behind that attack was, Miguel almost slammed him down by casting his gravity magic. As Zeke struggled to move, Miguel took up his ice sword and charged it with power.

Zeke began to pull himself up, finally able to since Miguel couldn't the gravity spell going and continue the fight. But it didn't matter for the wizard was ready.

''Blizzard!''

Before the mercenary quite knew it, he was trapped in a fierce blizzard. He tried to dig his feet in and hold on to his weapons for balance but soon he was sent flying.

Tired as he was, Miguel doubted that this was enough to end the battle. As it were, Zeke quickly proved him right.

''D-damn...'' He grunted. ''...color me surprised, but I'm not done yet!''

He increased his speed to a hundred fold once more and aimed his scythe to attack. Certain this would work, the man was shocked when Miguel cast Meteor as he countered with his sword, meeting him head on.

''How did you...?!'' Zeke spluttered, barely noticing Miguel's sword glow for a moment then. Thinking fast, he decided to try again, assuming that to be a fluke. Thus, he was even more shocked when Miguel not only met him head on again. He even managed to freeze a part of his scythe in one shot, blowing him back with a powerful, icy gale.

Zeke felt a chill up his spine, at first he thought it had to do with his partially frozen weapon but the feeling was too strong. It was then that he saw small pieces of ice were forming on his arms and his side. ''Wh-what the...?''

Of course. That water spell and the sudden attacks with the ice sword...

Zeke ground his teeth, realizing he had been played ''You little...I didn't think much of those attacks-how did you even know?!''

''That you'd slow down if you were cold enough? I figured it made sense.'' was Miguel's response. ''Just because I used small attacks doesn't mean they would be any less effective. You're not the only one who tries to make the most of their abilities.''

''Star Destruction!'' He raised his sword, which thrummed with power before Miguel unleashed a spinning slash that drew his opponent close. He followed it up with a vertical slash. Then he quickly rammed him with the sword's sheath in the gut and finally struck again with his sword, a blast shaped like a four pointed star hitting his opponent then.

Zeke was only able to stay up right by leaning heavily on his scythe, cursing ''I c-can't just lose...not now...''

Gathering all his will power, he drew on his devil fruit abilities again for one last attack. Miguel summoned a number of shining swords in retaliation and both clashed, falling at a distance from each other. This was Jiu Lieuxing, a Heavenly Body spell.

Miguel swayed a bit, but in the end it was Zeke who collapsed, having blacked out. The first let out a sigh of relief as the realization that he had won sank in, feeling his lips twitch into a small smile.

He might have felt happier if the situation was any different but it was hard. After all, he knew that their battle wasn't over yet.

* * *

Sanji's battle had been going on a similarly good vein. Bon Clay was good but the cook found himself able to deal with him well.

The agent quickly began to transform, hoping it would help. After all he himself wouldn't want to fight someone with the face of a friend so Sanji would likely feel the same.

He wound up regretting the idea after transforming into Luffy as Sanji's response was to kick him into a wall.

The okama pulled himself, gasping ''How could you...? Do you really not care about hurting a friend?''

''Didn't I warn you before? That shit is never going to work on me.'' Sanji retorted.

And that was when Bon Clay realized his mistake. He'd assumed that it was just the X mark that gave him away which lead to the failure of his earlier trick. But perhaps it was just that the transformation never would've fazed his opponent in the first place...

It was at this point that the problem started. For Bon Clay had decided to see if his conclusion about Sanji was correct by transforming into the Straw Hats he had copied before. At first, Sanji remained unfazed but it all changed when the man transformed into Nami.

Sanji looked delighted ''Nami-swan! As beautiful as ever!''

Bon Clay had to pause at that. Surely it couldn't be that easy...?

Just to check, he transformed back into his true self. Sanji's expression became angry once again but he immediately fawned over 'Nami' once more.

''Are you kidding me?'' The agent couldn't help his shock. What was with this guy? Did seeing the girl really reduce him to this?

The transformed Bon Clay punched Sanji then, only to be even more bewildered when the cook didn't so much as react, even when he kept up the offense and kicked him in the chest.

''What the hell?!'' Bon Clay cried out after turning back to normal. Okay it might have made his job easier but he really felt like he had to ask. ''You just stand there while I hit you?!''

''Shut up!'' Sanji glared back. ''I was raised to respect the ladies, I will never strike a lady till the day I die.''

Now that was unexpected, he'd never encountered anyone with such a chivalrous behavior before...

The fight continued at this pace. Bon Clay using his transformation to keep the advantage. Sanji was able to dodge the man's Mascara Boomerang attack, but the projectile reversed directions and Bon Clay distracted his opponent again by turning into Nami, leaving him vulnerable.

He seized the chance to use Prima, the powerful kick slamming Sanji to the ground. Just as the cook was about to counter, he found all his motivation fading as he was once again staring at Nami's face.

She was just so lovely...he could gaze at her all day.

Bon Clay turned back to normal and unleashed his Swan Arabesque attack. Recognizing the move from before, Sanji tried to dodge but he was too close for that to work. The cook pulled himself, growling angrily. He knew, dammit he knew that it was just a transformation but he just couldn't fight back. It still looked like he would hurt a woman and in the end, the notion went against everything in his moral code.

Something was odd about this battle though, something about Bon Clay's behavior...

It looked like the agent transformed back to his real self everytime he had to use a powerful attack. Could it be that...?

He was forced to tank a kick coming from his far left, only to be dazzled by Nami's appearance once more. Bon Clay grinned and turned back before slamming him with a Bombardier attack.

Cringing, Sanji rose to his feet. Those attacks were certainly wearing him down but now his suspicions were confirmed.

Bon Clay couldn't use his Okama Kenpo while transformed.

Sanji hid a smirk, knowing a way he could take advantage of that.

''You know, I just don't get it...'' He started, eliciting his enemy's confusion. ''...sure, I didn't see you before but Luffy and the others said you were confident and pretty proud of yourself.''

''But of course, why would I be?'' Bon Clay returned.

''Sure you are.'' The blond snorted.

''Hey, it's the truth!''

''Well, you sure aren't acting like it. I mean look at this, resorting to some cheap tricks, hiding away and coming out when it's convenient...'' Sanji drawled. ''...it just sounds like something a dirty coward would do.'' Bon Clay was irked but the blond continued. ''Guess what, it's only that trick of yours that helped you so far. That's why I know I can win against a lowlife like you. I don't know why Crocodile bothered giving such a high position to someone so pathetic, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? Prepare to get beat, loser.''

It was a bluff, in more ways than one and Sanji knew it. But he could already tell it was working as the agent was getting aggravated, so he decided to keep going. ''Men shouldn't wear make up, it's just damn wrong and disgusting. You look like a complete joke-I feel sorry for you and anyone with such terrible tastes.''

Bon Clay had enough ''That does it! I won't let those words stand. I will show you how a true Okama battles!''

Hook, line and sinker. Sanji thought, watching as his opponent took a stance.

''I'll prove how wrong you are with my next attack.'' The agent launched into a furious spin before unleashing a powerful kick. ''How about this? Memoirs of a Summer Day!''

The blond waited until he knew the time would be right. He dodged just when he could be sure Bon Clay was close enough, then launching a Quasi kick and following it up with Queue. He went into a hand stand to kick Bon Clay repeatedly, using the momentum gained from his previous attacks to keep going.

''Cuisseau!''

The final kick sent the agent flying before he crashed down.

Bon Clay held back a groan, knowing he couldn't fight anymore ''I'm done...and after all I said too...'' He lowered his head. ''...finish me off.''

''Why should I?''

The man looked up in surprise at Sanji's words ''There's no need, we had a good fight and that was that. I'm done here.''

Sanji kept going, missing Bon Clay watching him in awe, his thoughts all centered on the conflict around them and helping Vivi bring a stop to it.

* * *

Nami and Zoro were found by Mr. 1 and his partner Miss Doublefinger. Mr. 1 had immediately zoned in on Nami, deeming her the weaker part of the team before attacking. Zoro intervened in time, blocking his path to the navigator.

Nami began to hurry away, knowing that staying here would be a bad idea. She didn't want to give Mr. 1 any chances to keep coming after her. The girl could honestly admit that she doubted she could take the man on and only hoped Zoro would win.

She was able to get away for a short while before Miss Doublefinger caught up to her, smirking all the while. Nami was left unnerved by the prospect of fighting the woman but she knew she wouldn't have a choice.

Thankfully, She was more experienced with the Climatact, the weapon Usopp made for her. Thus she had a better scope of the abilities it granted her. Still, Miss Doublefinger made for quite an adversary. A user of the Spike Spike fruit, she was not only powerful but fast and adept with her devil fruit powers.

Miss Doublefinger managed to stab her through the shoulder. Nami cringed, gasping in pain as she slumped. Her thoughts quickly went to Vivi and she knew that this pain was nothing compared to what the princess had to deal with.

Nami understood how it was like after all, wanting to change things but being absolutely helpless to do so...it was a terrible feeling. She was reminded of her own situation back at Cocoyashi, when she realized Arlong betrayed her and the villagers were marching to their deaths. If Luffy and the others hadn't been there...she didn't even want to think of it.

This line of thought motivated her to keep going. She would not, under any circumstances, fail the princess or her crewmates here.

Thinking fast, she threw one of the water she had been given earlier. It released a big burst of water that caught Miss Doublefinger off guard, almost throwing her down. As she tried to regain her balance, it was to have one of her spikes stick through a stone wall, trapping her. Cursing, the woman tried to pull herself but Nami was already moving, utilizing one of new abilities...

''Double Stinger!'' Miss Doublefinger charged at Nami, only to be surprised when the girl vanished, almost as if she had hit a mirage. ''What the-?!''

The woman looked around, noticing a few strange red balls nearby before trying to follow them to the source, finding Nami running ahead. The girl stiffened upon seeing that agent was after her but she kept going. Her opponent used Double Stinger again, forcing the alarmed navigator to duck, which result in her spikes getting stuck in stone again.

Nami decided to use this to her advantage ''Thunder Tempo!''

A boxing glove flew out, hitting Miss Doublefinger in the face. She grunted, lowering her head then ''Stinger Hedgehog!''

Numerous spikes formed in an instant, from Miss Double Finger's hair, clothes and even nails. Now free, Miss Doublefinger rushed at Nami, who blanched at the sight of the spike ball coming at her before rolling to get out of the way. Regardless, Miss Doublefinger kept up the attack, merely shifting her direction to go after the girl. Nami quickened her pace, wondering what to do as she didn't know how long she could keep on running.

She happened to spot a particularly high stone slab leaning over another, which gave her an idea.

''It's no use!'' Miss Doublefinger taunted as the girl kept going, but Nami ignored her and headed towards the slab.

She stepped aside in the last second, leaving the female agent to roll over the edge to fall to the lower area. Stunned, the woman regained her balance in time, maneuvering in mid-air so she could land safely on the building opposite Nami.

She harrumphed ''You're good at running away if nothing else. But you'd be an idiot to continue fighting, just give up and accept your death.''

Nami glared at her ''As if! Don't talk like you already won!''

Miss Doublefinger rolled her eyes, jumping at her with a spike at the ready. But Nami surprised her by using the second lacrima to unleash another blast of water which blocked her vision. The woman went into a spin to try stave the worst of it before it knocked her back. When she could see again, Nami was gone.

Moments later, the girl appeared on her far left. Scowling, Miss Doublefinger ran towards her and attacked, only for Nami to disappear once again. ''What did you do?!''

Nami used the Climatact's abilities to create mirages, combining concentrations of hot and warm air to confuse the agent.

And indeed, it seemed to work as a frustrated Miss Doublefinger destroyed more of her mirages, her temper growing worse. ''Quit stallling!''

But this wasn't stalling, Nami knew just what to do here. It was time to employ one of the Climatact's best abilities.

She held up one of staff's pieces and it sent out of a number of blue spheres, another part sent out more red ones. Miss Doublefinger frowned ''More little tricks, you weakling?''

Nami glared at her ''It's true that you're stronger than me...'' She stopped to roll away from the woman's oncoming attack. ''...but that doesn't matter! I won't back down now!''

She waved the third piece of her staff, which released some yellow spheres. Miss Doublefinger was still underestimating Nami, which worked well for the girl. She didn't know it but the navigator's attack had already begun. The blue cool balls and the red heat balls were what affected the air around them to enable Nami's true goal. They along with the yellow thunderballs were the keys to making this all work.

Nami subtly glanced at the thundercloud forming above the Baroque Works agent, which absorbed the heat and cool balls, growing bigger as a result. Nami swiftly put her staff together and ''Thunderbolt Tempo!''

A powerful lightning bolt surged from the cloud, blasting Miss Doublefinger at full force. Moments later, the agent fell down, having taken a lot of damage.

Nami let out a sigh of relief, glad to see that she had nailed the technique. Said feeling was short lived though as her adversary began to pull herself up, looking livid.

''You...little...brat...!'' She snarled, making Nami freeze in shock. How could she still keep going?!

On closer inspection, it look like every bit of moment was hard on her but the woman was apparently that determined to keep up the fight. Quickly slamming Nami to a wall, she smirked nastily ''Hmph, this was just a fluke. A weakling like you with such a pathetic weapon couldn't make much of a difference. Not when it really counts. I've had enough of this farce, Sea Urchin Stinger!''

The agent's next attack turned all her hair into spikes before she charged. Faced with such a situation, Nami did the only she could think of.

She stopped the attack by blocking it with her left foot, holding back a scream of pain as one of the spikes pierced her foot. She refused to let Miss Doublefinger have the satisfaction. It hurt, hurt a lot but Nami knew that this pain did not compare to what Vivi was going through due to the deplorable state of her country. Besides, she wasn't done yet.

Before her attacker could keep going, Nami leveled her staff, having gotten an idea.

''Cyclone Tempo!''

The toy birds shot up, trapping Miss Doublefinger in seconds before the rest of the attack sent her flying. This time she was truly down and out, signifying Nami as the winner.

Nami couldn't help the feeling of elation rising up within her. She had really fought for her friends all on her own and won. This was her first true victory as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. ''All right!''

* * *

To say Pell was confused would be an understatement.

He had been able to find Luffy with the unexpected help of Miss All Sunday. Apparently the boy had lost to Crocodile and for some reason she had decided to help him. They were enemies but she sure didn't act like it.

Pell figured Vivi was right about that woman, you really never know what to expect with her.

Shaking the thoughts off, he went on to tend to Luffy. As if things weren't strange enough, the first thing the boy did was demand meat.

Who does that anyway? Someone with such terrible injuries and the first he does is ask for meat?

Once they were both set, Pell used his falcon form to fly towards Alubarna with Luffy on his back.

''Oh, so that's what happened...'' Luffy trailed off when the man told him a little about what was going on in the capital.

''At least as far as I know. I believe your crew is battling with Baroque Works as we speak.'' Pell added.

''It's going to be fine-those guys can't handle 'em anyway. My crew's as tough as nails.''

Pell couldn't help but smile a bit at the complete faith he discerned in that statement. ''Well...''

He was about to go on but at then something golden not too far away caught his eye ''Hm?''

''What's up, bird-guy?'' Luffy inquired.

''That.'' He pointed at the golden glow, which seemed to be in the same direction they were taking. ''What could it be?''

Luffy perked up, immediately figuring it out ''Oi, Miguel!''

Pell blinked but the captain kept trying to call out for couple of more times before the source of the light came closer, revealing the quartermaster. ''Ah...another of your friends then?''

''Yup!'' He grinned as Miguel joined them. ''Hey, you beat that super fast guy, right?''

Miguel raised an eye ''Yeah, but what're you doing here? I thought...''

The two quickly filled him in, leaving him alarmed and more than a little worried. ''You actually...?'' Miguel sighed, it wasn't the time to worry about what was in the past. ''Why am I even surprised...? Anyway, you mind if I ride with you two. I can see about healing Luffy then.'' While he wouldn't have much problems flying to Alubarna, there was no way he could keep up two spells at once.

''Of course.'' Pell felt a measure of relief at this. ''You can do healing magic? That'd be excellent.'' He added, moving so the young man could land on his back.

''But I feel fine...'' Luffy started.

''Let's not take any chances, okay? We're going straight into a war zone. Just give me a few minutes.'' Miguel returned.

The rubber teen nodded back and sat to let the wizard examine him before he really got to work. In a minute, his hands glowed with the healing magic as he got to work.

Luffy relaxed, enjoying how nice it felt ''Everything will be fine, bird-guy. We promised Vivi to help her country and that's what we'll do. Right?'' He added, looking at Miguel.

The latter nodded ''Right. We've come this far, let's see this to the end.''

Pell began to smile ''Thanks, I'll be counting on you.''

* * *

 _All right, let's stop here._

 _Well, I wasn't sure how to handle Miguel's fight but in the end I figured this approach would work. That More More fruit was more tricky to deal with than I thought. I guess I sort of wound winging it in the end. Anywho, the next chapter starts right around this point, with Zoro's fight taking place the same time as Nami's._

 _Thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!_


End file.
